SUMMARY
The exhibition 'Help Wanted / Leave Now: ‘Operation Wetback’ & the Revolving Door of Mass Deportation' at the California Museum showcases photographs from the 1930s to the 1950s. These images document both the recruitment of Mexican laborers for jobs in the U.S. and their subsequent mass deportations. The exhibition frames this cycle as a pattern that has repeated over a century, reflecting periods of labor need followed by political convenience for removal.
TAKEAWAYS
Photographs from the 1930s-1950s illustrate U.S. recruitment and mass deportation of Mexican workers.
The exhibition contrasts images of workers in fields and railroad maintenance with scenes of deportation processing.
The display highlights a historical pattern of labor recruitment followed by expulsion, relevant to current immigration enforcement.
The images document the experiences of Mexican and Mexican-American individuals, some of whom were U.S. citizens.