A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEXICAN IMMIGRATION IN NEVADA
As a result of the Mexican-American War, in 1848 Mexico lost the territory containing what came to be known as Nevada. Thus, although they did not establish large settlements, the Mexicans within the Nevada territory at this time were the first Mexicans in the state. The 1859 Comstock Lode discovery initiated the era of silver mining in Nevada, and attracted thousands of miners. While a majority were from California, many were immigrants from elsewhere, including Mexico. The immigrants established mining camps comprised of multinational communities of Greeks, Mexicans, Italians, Slavs, and Japanese. The trend did not waver, and Mexican immigrants continued to find their way to Nevada during the late 19th and early part of the 20th century. The arrival of the railroad created construction jobs in Las Vegas in the early 1900s, which also drew Mexican migrants into the valley. According to the 1910 U.S. Census, there were 56 Hispanics living in Las Vegas. In addition to working in the Comstock mines and maintaining the railroads, Mexican immigrants also cut lumber and herded cattle and sheep. But in the 1930s, immigration slowed as Mexicans were forcibly removed during the Great Depression; they were used as scapegoats for the lack of jobs and resources at the time.
The Bracero Program of 1942, however, reversed this forced deportation and allowed guest workers from Mexico to labor on farms in the United States. While many came to Nevada, for the next two decades Mexicans were a relatively small minority group. The deal was extended into the 1960s to allow immigrants to continue helping with agricultural work. Due in part to the Bracero program and later to general economic expansion, the Hispanic population increased significantly during the 1960s and 1970s, rising from 578 to 9,937 people. The largest wave of immigration occurred during the 1980s, however, when Mexico’s economy collapsed and caused many people to cross the border.
By 1980, the number of Hispanics increased to about 35,000. Part of the reason was due to the cheaper cost of living and high economic opportunity in Nevada. By 2000, Nevada had 394,000 Hispanics with 302,000 residing in Clark County alone; about 15 percent of the Hispanic population was Mexican. Since then Hispanics, both native and foreign-born of all races, have become the state’s largest minority group.
CHARACTERIZING IMMIGRATION IN NEVADA
Population
In 2010, Nevada was one of the six states with the largest number of Mexican immigrants; Nevada contained 2.0 percent of all Mexican immigrants in the country. Nevada was also among the states that experienced growth in the Mexican-born population between 2000 and 2008, with an increase of 80,000. Between 2009 and 2013, the Mexican immigrant population in Nevada totaled 224,000. The top counties were Clark (178,000), Washoe (30,800), Carson (3,900), and Elko (3,400). The number of Mexican born individuals in 2013 alone was 216,365.
Labor
The number of immigrants who were in Nevada illegally, decreased by about 20,000 people from 2009 to 2012, but Nevada still had the largest share of any state of unauthorized immigrants in its total population. In Nevada, Mexicans account for 69 percent of unauthorized immigrants. An estimated 10.2 percent of Nevada’s labor force consists of unauthorized immigrants, meaning that a majority are illegal immigrants from Mexico. This number represents the highest share of any other state. Many immigrants from Mexico have relatively low levels of education, which limits their job prospects. These include jobs in the service, construction, and wholesale and retail trade sectors. In 2011, 37.2 percent of Mexican immigrants in Nevada were employed in the entertainment, accommodation, and food services sector. Many immigrants also concentrated in the retail trade and construction industries.
LINKS TO CULTURE