As was pointed out to me, the current problems we have with Immigration go back roughly to the post-World War 1 period of around 1919. Prior to that, it was pretty much an open door as Immigrants were encouraged to come to the U.S. in order to build up the labor force, join in the tidal wave of Western Expansion and generally bolster the population. But after World War 1 all that changed changed and suddenly the doors which were flung open were now suspiciously closed, and landing in this country as an immigrant became harder and harder. In 1924 the first Border Patrol was created in an effort to stem what had by then become a flood of Illegal Immigrants.

During World War 2 however, there was a flurry of activity with the Bracero Program (for Agricultural workers) along with the Railroad Bracero Program (for Railroad workers) which was passed in 1942 and implemented in 1943 and directed towards Mexico and Latin-America, but also as a way of shoring up the lagging workforce that had been drafted into military service. It didn't promise instant citizenship, but it offered a "fast track". And with our fears that Latin-American countries would go the way of the Axis, and since Mexico had also declared War on Germany, it was a good political move.

But when the War was over, so was the welcome mat and Immigration rules became tighter and more restricted. The Railroad Program was dropped in 1945 and the Bracero Program came under fire until it initially expired in 1947, but was renewed again in 1951 on a modified basis before it's complete demise in 1964. The Fear-On-Paper was the possibility of Communist infiltration. That spies and agitators would flow into the U.S. but the real fear was that, now the war was over, the workforce would return to its Pre-War level and there was very little need or desire for unskilled labor.

But outside the border America was still considered the Land of Opportunity and better wages were still to be had. So rather than make it easier to achieve legal Immigrant status, most chose the Illegal route.

Then as now, the logic has always been "go where the work is and the opportunities are". And employers on the other side of the border, in Manufacturing as well as Agriculture were more than willing to offer employment since it usually meant "off the books" and "negotiated wages" (i.e: well below market). Skilled labor, it should be noted and with personal experience, has always been given higher regard than unskilled labor. In short, it is easier to land Immigrant Status with a college degree, an in-demand skill or a good lawyer. The vast majority of people scrambling across the border are not skilled, do not have college degrees and certainly don't have lawyers. They are what have been called "country folk" (think Appalachia in Spanish), and they are degraded, chastised, vilified and discriminated against. But strangely, they are welcome with open, if not clandestine arms when it comes to building roads, picking oranges, cleaning toilets, straightening Hotel Rooms and dumping body fluids.

So in 1954 the problem was the same as it is now even though The Bracero Program was creaking along and offering legal employment to Mexican nationals with cooperation from conscientious American employers.

This documentary, produced by CBS Radio and KNX in Los Angeles, followed the path of the illegals, the Wetbacks as they were called, on a journey from Mexicali to Los Angeles. It was recorded on scene and, not only does it make for fascinating broadcast journalism, it also spells out exactly what was entailed at the time to get across the border and not get caught.

Bear in mind this is 1950's radio. It's a one hour Documentary that covers a lot of bases. Then as now, it's all mired in controversy and knee-jerk responses. The stereotype portrayals are just as prevalent then as they are now and the problem hasn't changed with one exception - in 1954 there was The Bracero Program and today there isn't. In 1954 there was at least an attempt at offering a solution, no matter how much of a band aid on a bleed-out it was. Today the conversation is back to Square One.

But there is a history.

The age old debate on Immigration and what, if any, should that policy be. It has plagued administrations probably since Jefferson. In 1953 it was aggravated by the Cold War and the threat of espionage and subversive activities from the flood of Displaced Persons at the end of World War 2. Today it's a bit different, although by 1953's standards probably not all that much. In 1953 there was the creeping onslaught of people not from the traditional European locales, but rather from Asia, due in no small part to the Korean War.

So beyond the fear of espionage and subversion also came the fear of job loss. Those non-European Immigrants, it was thought, didn't have the same work ethic or understanding of the rules and would therefore flood the workforce with cheap labor and destroy the minimum wage and the unions.

To some people, that wasn't such a bad idea. But the bottom line was, Immigration was becoming a problem and some solution had to be arrived at before things got out of hand.

And so, as part of its series American Forum Of The Air from May 17, 1953, the subject "What Should Americas Immigration Policy Be?" was asked of Senator Herbert Lehman of New York and Representative J. Frank Wilson of Texas (both democrats).

Sen. Herbert Lehman: “What we now have on our statute books is not an immigration law but an anti-immigration law. The law as presently written is not a law to authorize immigration or to control immigration. But rather to prevent immigration, to discourage it, to make it difficult as possible for an alien to be admitted to this country, either as a visitor or a student or as a permanent resident. Under our present law every alien is assumed to be a potential spy a saboteur, a criminal or a subversive unless and until he can prove otherwise. Even naturalized American citizens are placed under this bar sinister and can be de-naturalized for any one of a number of acts which native born American citizens can’t perform without penalty. The heart of the law is the national origins quota system, a discriminatory plan based on repugnant theories of the racial superiority of the so-called Nordic Races. The law is further characterized by drastic penalties including deportation for aliens. Against aliens for such innocent acts as failure to carry registration cards, or failure to notify the Attorney General of a change in address. And the widest discretion is given to councils and immigration inspectors and other officials to bar, to exclude, to deport and detain aliens.”

So, the problem has never really been solved - on the one hand you have "No borders - no restrictions" and on the other you have "fuck 'em, kill 'em all" - neither of which is much of a solution.

At least in 2011 there isn't the fear of being overrun by Communist agents posing as students. But there are those gun-toting militias . . .

(With dismal regularity: The Roundup)

Continuing our survey of Immigration and attempts at Immigration reform, here's a documentary produced for NPR's All Things Considered in 1973. Titled "The Desperate Journey", it traces the steps most illegals take in getting across the border to the U.S., what happens, who takes advantage of the situation and what was happening in 1973 to reform it. Peter Rodino, who was co-author on a number of bills dealing with Immigration reform (including an early incarnation of the Simpson-Mazzoli Bill initially called the Simpson-Rodino Bill in 1986) is interviewed on what the then-current problems were and what was being done to change it.

It makes for interesting listening, especially when you consider the climate they were talking about was 1973 and not 2010. You begin to realize nothing has changed much. There has always been the threat of vigilante violence and "get tough" policies - but as history has shown, they haven't worked nor are they very likely to work in the future.

And the problem goes on.

(Reagan signing the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Reform Bill - 1986 - smiling faces . . .mostly)

Passing by a comfortable margin in the House and passed with ease by the Senate, in what was referred to as the first piece of sweeping legislation in the area of Immigration was signed into law on November 1986. The bill, known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Act of 1986, penalized employers for hiring illegal aliens and offering amnesty to aliens who illegally entered the country before 1982 was an attempt to offer some solution to a broken system in need of fixing since the last piece of legislation authored by Peter Rodino in the early 1970's.

Of course, it had its detractors, including the Mexican government. Seems in the area of Immigration, you just can't please everybody - or in some cases, most anybody.

(Immigration Reform Protests 2006 - didn't just happen overnight)

With the Obama Administration's focus on Immigration reform, I thought I would start with a series of attempts, arguments, legislations and problems over the last several decades associated with revamping and reforming a hopelessly outdated system. I'm going to try and go back to the 1930's in an attempt to give you some overview at what the Immigration issue has become over the years and what has happened as a result. Like Healthcare reform, it is no easy fix and has been ingrained in our society for a very long time. Many attempts have been made over the years to bring a solution - a lot have been mired in partisan rhetoric, many have suffered from bad timing. But each was an attempt to try and fix a broken system.

The first post up, and most recent was the attempt at Immigration reform by way of a military solution in 2006 under the Bush Administration in this address from May 15, 2006.

Bush: “It is important for Americans to know that we have enough Guard forces to win the war on terror, to respond to natural disasters and to help secure our border. The United States is not going to militarize the Southern Border.”

Senator Dick Durbin offered a rebuttal:

Dick Durbin: “All Americans agree we must act now to secure our borders and fix our broken immigration system, but we don’t need a military solution to break a political stalemate. We need leadership.”

A week before the address, on April 20th, ABC News Nightline ran a segment on the Immigration issue with this telling comment:

Migrant Farm Worker: “I have worked since I was seven years old in the fields, and not once have I seen an Anglo-American pick alongside me.”

The last segment probably goes more to the heart of the matter than anything else. But who wants to admit that?

In the coming days I'll be posting items going back to give you an idea of the complexity of this issue and how long its been going on.

History is loaded with repeats.

News for this day in August of 1995 was doubtful at best. Under the guise of "maneuvers" American tanks massed on the border of Jordan and Iraq as a show of force to Saddam Hussein, lest he got any more ideas about Kuwait. Bosnian Peace talks were on-going with Goradze being the topic of conversation. The hostage drama in Kashmir regarding a group of Western tourists was ramped up with a rescue plan in the works. In another part of the region, the body of Himalayan mountain climber Alison Hargreaves was discovered after she had been reported missing for several days when sudden bad weather hit the area where she was attempting an ascent on K2.

Meanwhile, Back in the States - Judge Lance Ito postponed hearings in the OJ Simpson trial in order to review and to figure out how to handle the hours of racial epithets flying out of the Ron Fuhrman tapes before releasing them to the jury. A sweep of illegal Aliens in a meat packing plant in Nebraska netted surprising results. Former Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker was facing a fresh set of indictments in the White Water fishing expedition with suspicions of political motives and a "back door move" to President Clinton on everyone's minds. First Female Cadet at The Citadel Shannon Faulkner was still in Sick Bay, after collapsing from exhaustion. Convicted killer Sylvester Adams was executed for his role in the strangulation murder of a 16 year-old neighbor. Appeals that the condemned killer was mentally incapable of pre-meditation went unheeded. The Interstate 880 Sniper was arrested. And Hurricane Felix was looking less and less of a threat with each hour.

Just another day. Just like any other day. All via The CBS World News Roundup for August 18, 1995.