so in the poor man's encyclopedia known as Wikipedia it has the following two entries:
# Operation Wetback was a 1954 project of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to remove about 1.2 million illegal immigrants from the southwestern United States, with a focus on Mexican nationals.
# The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 discontinued quotas based on national origin, while preference given to those who have U.S. relatives. For the first time Mexican immigration was restricted.
(
List of United States immigration legislation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
How could operation wetback be targeted against illegal Mexicans in 1954, IF Mexican immigration wasn't restricted until 1965? I guess it must mean that even under an open immigration policy a certain amount of people still found it easier not to apply for legal status then to.
Interesting that until 1965 Mexicans could immigrate freely.