Mr. Speaker. some Members of Congress have dismissed the tragic crisis to small agricultural towns caused by the discontinuance of the bracero program by saying in effect "we hope to get Federal aid to promote a migrant system for furnishing the necessary supplemental farm labor." Before such a plan is promulgated. the cruel sociological and emotional consequences should be understood. The cost of any such program would be enormous and wasteful. But even if every agricultural area were provided with free public family housing and if equipped with community theaters. parks. libraries. swimming pools. and so forthand even if the Federal Government generously built. supplied and staffed the necessary schools. jails. hospitals and public service facilities. the nomadic life of following the crops--: living 2 months here. 3 months there and then migrating to some other placewould be unimaginably unhealthful and disruptive. The movement of the migrant families. no matter how handsomely housed and provisioned. will be detrimental to the educational. social and economic welfare of each community through which they pass as well as to the migrant family. It is highly doubtful that teachers. doctors. welfare technicians. or governmental officials could be induced to follow the migrant family from harvest to harvest Logically these techniciansand their familiesshould not be exempt from the nomadic life. if the poor farm laborerand his familyis required to migrate with the crops. Another suggestion that the farm laborer family should stay in some rural community all year. even though only 1 to 5 months farm employment is available nearby. is irrational and not practicable. Farm labor skills are the least interchangeable with skills required in other industries.
Identified stereotypes
Migrant families are presented as detrimental to the educational, social, and economic welfare of each community through which they pass.