Senators Becker and Gonzalez Launch the Mexican Repatriation Memorial Project

LOS ANGELES — On Oct. 24, joined by Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass, members of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, Latino community leaders, and the descendants of victims of the Mexican repatriation, Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) and Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) praised the signing of Senate Bill (SB) 537 and announced the launch of the Mexican Repatriation Memorial Project in the City of Los Angeles.

At La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, supporters celebrated the announcement of the bill’s signing, which will create a statue honoring the victims of the largest mass deportation of Mexican and Mexican American citizens from the United States.

The Mexican Repatriation Program of the 1930s was a period of forced deportations of Mexicans and Mexican Americans under the guise of preserving job opportunities for “real Americans.” An estimated 2 million Mexican and Mexican American citizens, including 400,000 people from California, were rounded up, separated from families, and deported to Mexico.

“With the 95th anniversary of the Executive Order codifying into federal policy the forced deportation of innocent men, women, and children of Latino descent upon us, this memorial will provide a long overdue and unequivocal recognition of the Mexican Repatriation,” said Sen. Becker. “It will generate an educational transformation and raise awareness of this dark chapter in our history so that we are not condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past. I am proud that this bill has already inspired many to begin having conversations about the repatriations, which is raising awareness and advancing healing and justice for the victims and their descendants.”

“The forced deportation of Mexican and Mexican American families, and the lasting repercussions those actions have had on our communities, cannot be ignored, or forgotten,” said Sen. Lena Gonzalez. “It’s my hope this memorial will serve as an educational tool about the forced repatriation of the 1930s to promote healing and justice, and as a reminder that we must never repeat the mistakes of the past.”

“It is not easy to find representation of Latinos in textbooks and classrooms,” said Tamara Gisiger. “With much digging, I found that forced deportations of millions of Mexicans during the Depression, mostly American citizens, were nowhere to be found in history books. What I uncovered I turned into a school paper. The historical invisibility inspired me to share what I had learned far and wide. In writing and passing this bill, Senators Becker and Gonzalez are now making sure that this history will never be forgotten. I am so proud to have played a part in this.”

SB 537 authorized a designated non-profit foundation, in consultation with either the department of general services or the city/county of Los Angeles, to plan, construct, and maintain a statue at an appropriate public place in Los Angeles to commemorate victims of the Mexican Repatriation program. All costs are covered by the non-profit foundation.

The inspiration of SB 537 came from high school student Tamara Gisiger, who wrote her Junior year research paper on the Mexican Repatriation after realizing that this dark part of history is nearly always omitted from textbooks. Her paper reached the desks of legislators and SB 537 was introduced as a result.