Union organizers like to refer it as “Braceros” because that program earned a bad reputation due to farmer abuse of it and lax enforcement of its rules. Today, it is different. The Guest Worker program involves very significant application, reporting and enforcement requirements. This serves to reduce valuable opportunities for workers and limit its usefulness to farmers. Referring to today’s program as “Braceros” is an intentional effort to link it to a long-past program with a troubled history. For more information on the Braceros Program history: http://braceroarchive.org/about
