The History of the U.S.-Mexico Border Part 1
The 1800's
This is a personal deep dive of trying to understand the immigration issue and border policy in the United States and Texas. Growing up in a border town I realize my experience is so unique. Our city was safe, the diversity and culture and proximity to Mexico was a wonderful thing. From my experience American and sister cities in Mexico are so interdependent on one another. You will often see workers cross borders everyday back and forth to go to work, shopping or even just for dinner. And it bothers me deeply to hear the dehumanization that is currently happening in Texas. I am trying to understand how we got here and try to make connections.
This is the U.S. and Mexico Border. It spans 1,954 miles. It goes from California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. You can see the American cities and the sister border cities.
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1800’s: The earliest record to restrict immigration to the U.S. occurred in the late 1800’s, when inspection stations were set-up along ports of entry along the border.
1845: The Republic of Texas joins the United States. When it first became a republic it had 5,000 slaves and by the time the U.S. annexed the territory it had 30,000 slaves. Many slaves that fled went to Mexico to evade their capture because of the close proximity and the fact that Mexico made slavery illegal.
1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ended the Mexican American war and established the boundaries between the two countries by 1949.
1855: The Chamizal Dispute and the Gadsden Purchase helped clear up any border land disputes.
1882: The first federal law governing immigrants was passed; it was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1892. Chinese immigrants that didn’t meet standards in this Act went to Canada and Mexico and it was the first time the term “illegal” was used for immigration. Canada passed a tax for Chinese immigrants as a way of managing the influx of immigrants. The US began placing focus on Mexico for screening. The Chinese were actively using the Mexican border as a safe way to pass to the US. Note: This was during the Guangxu reign and Emperor during the Qing dynasty, so before communism.
1891-1894: - International Boundary Commission was created to survey and mark boundaries. Obelisks were reconstructed and new ones were erected. Number of obelisks went from 52 to 258.
References:
The Violent History of the U.S. Mexico Border
A Brief Legislative History of the Last 50 Years on the U.S. -Mexico Border