WHEREAS, Beginning in 1929, government authorities and certain private sector entities in California and throughout the United States undertook an aggressive, illegal, and unconstitutional program, known as “the Mexican Repatriation Program,” to forcibly remove persons of Mexican ancestry from the United States; and

WHEREAS, In California, approximately 400,000 American citizens and legal residents of Mexican ancestry were relocated to Mexico; and

WHEREAS, In total, an estimated 2 million people of Mexican ancestry were forcibly relocated to Mexico, approximately 1.2 million of whom had been born in the United States, including California; and

WHEREAS, Throughout California, massive raids were conducted on Mexican-American communities, resulting in the clandestine removal of thousands of people, many of whom were never able to return to the United States, their country of birth; and

WHEREAS, These raids also had the effect of coercing thousands of people to leave the United States in the face of threats and acts of violence; and

WHEREAS, These raids targeted persons of Mexican ancestry, with authorities and others indiscriminately characterizing these persons as “illegal aliens,” even when they were United States citizens or permanent legal residents; and

WHEREAS, The Mexican Repatriation Program was a cruel twist of fate for those who were born in the United States, served in the military, and contributed to the nation’s economy; and

WHEREAS, In California and in other states, programs were instituted to unconstitutionally remove persons of Mexican ancestry from the United States to Mexico by securing transportation arrangements with railroads and shipping companies; and

WHEREAS, As a result of the Mexican Repatriation Program, families were forced to abandon, or were defrauded of, personal and real property, which often was sold by local authorities as “payment” for the transportation expenses incurred in their removal from the United States to Mexico; and

WHEREAS, As another result of the illegal program, United States citizens and legal residents were separated from their families and country, and were deprived of their livelihood and United States constitutional rights; and

WHEREAS, As a further result, United States citizens were deprived of their right to participate in the political process guaranteed to all citizens, thereby resulting in the tragic denial of due process and equal protection of the laws; and

WHEREAS, This deplorable period in United States history has largely gone unnoticed, and the stories of those illegally deported have been largely unheard; and

WHEREAS, Historically, other groups have also experienced a gross violation of their human rights: Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II; millions of Jews and Gypsies were victims of genocide; Native Americans were forced to relocate to reservations; and African-Americans were forced into slavery. Legislation has been used to address these types of human rights violations by offering apology acts, requiring their inclusion in our social studies curriculum, and in some cases, offering compensation for the victims’ losses; and

WHEREAS, The work of educators is to teach children about the mistakes made by our citizens and government during social, political, economic, and war crises. Teaching about these atrocities can help create a more just and accepting pluralistic society so that such acts are not repeated; and

WHEREAS, The inclusion of this historical event in our textbooks and curriculum is vital to giving victims a sense of justice, while ensuring that future generations never forget; and

WHEREAS, The State of California has apologized to those individuals whose basic civil liberties and constitutional rights were violated during the Mexican Repatriation Program (Ch. 663, Stats. 2005); now, therefore, be it