Final answer:
The U.S. government deported people of Mexican ancestry during the Great Depression due to economic strain and job scarcity for Anglo-Americans, with discriminatory practices and racial prejudice underpinning these deportations, significantly impacting Mexican American communities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reasons for Deporting People of Mexican Ancestry During the Great Depression
During the Great Depression, the U.S. government began deporting people of Mexican ancestry as a response to economic hardship and high unemployment among Anglo-Americans. State and federal officials conducted raids leading to the forced deportation of approximately half a million Mexican Americans, many of whom were U.S.-born citizens. The Mexican government had to send humanitarian aid to support the returnees due to their condition.
The U.S. government's policy towards people of Mexican descent has been described as ambivalent. This was evidenced in the 1940s and the 1950s, particularly with the instantiation of the Bracero Program which invited Mexican workers to fill labor shortages during WWII, contrasting starkly with the massive deportations that took place in both the 1930s and during Operation Wetback in 1954.
Discrimination and racial prejudice played significant roles in these deportations, which were justified by the perceived need to provide jobs for white Americans and to address illegal immigration. However, these actions were often marked by violations of civil rights and due process for many individuals of Mexican descent living in the U.S.