As young men entered military service in large numbers following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States faced the possibility of a labor shortage. North Dakota grappled with the labor shortage like the rest of the country did. The Women’s Land Army recruited city women to work on farms, but it was not wildly successful. North Dakota turned to prisoners of war. Some prisoners were released from the prison camp at Fort Abraham Lincoln to work on farms. That program was curtailed after several prisoners escaped.
In an effort to solve the problem, the United States and Mexico crafted the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement. This agreement allowed Mexican laborers, known as “braceros,” to work on American farms for planting and harvesting and then return to Mexico. Knowing that people of Mexican descent were often treated badly in the United States, Mexico was cautious about entering into the agreement. When Mexico declared war on Germany and its allies in May, 1942, the United States and Mexico became allies, and Mexico felt the program was important to support the war against fascism. The agreement, which became known as the “braceros program,” was signed on this date in 1942. According to the agreement, braceros would be protected from social or economic discrimination. They would be paid thirty cents per hour, and housing facilities had to meet acceptable hygiene standards.
Most of the braceros went to California, with only about three percent coming to North Dakota. Most of those worked on sugar beet farms in the Red River Valley. When the planting was done, they went to other farms to help with haying and the wheat harvest. They returned in September to help with the beet harvest. When that was over, they returned to Mexico.
Braceros had a good reputation in North Dakota. Newspapers reported that farmers found them to be “honest and hard-working.” Few North Dakotans spoke Spanish and few braceros spoke English, so the federal government published brochures in both languages, including a booklet of useful sentences and phrases. Not all was rosy. Food and housing were often below standards, and pay was sometimes low or entirely withheld, but overall, the program was a success. With men returning to the labor market and a changing political climate, Congress let the Braceros Program expire in 1964.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- ND Studies. “Braceros Program.” https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr8/content/unit-iv-modern-north-dakota-1921-present/lesson-2-making-living/topic-3-agriculture/section-5-bracero-program Accessed 7/14/2025.
- History. “U.S. and Mexico sign the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement.” https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-4/us-mexico-sign-mexican-farm-labor-agreement-bracero-program Accessed 7/14/2025.
