Deportation is a massively hot topic these days. With border security being a top political issue now, it's hard to remember when deportation of workers and immigrants has been this focused on.

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While Arizona is at the front of these stories, many seem to forget Arizona's largest deportation, and the horror and collapse that followed.

 The Bisbee Mining Strike

In the midst of World War I, Bisbee was thriving. With a population of about 8,000, it was one of the most successful mining operations in Arizona history. The town was largely owned by Phelps Dodge, who owned the Copper Queen mine at the time.

An American Flag flying above the Copper Queen mine
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Workers were incredibly unhappy with Phelps Dodge's business practices, such as required physical examinations after shifts, discrimination against non-union miners, and a sliding pay scale. Inevitably, the Industrial Workers of the World called for a strike to begin on June 26th, 1917.

Over 3,000 workers took place in the strike, making up about 85% of Bisbee's Miners.

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The Bisbee Deportation

The strike lasted about a week, before chaos broke out. On July 11th, after a trial run in Jerome, around 2,000 deputies descended on Bisbee. They began rounding up workers, and pillaging local stores that striking workers owned.

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They were then marched to Warren Ballpark where they were given an ultimatum: Denounce the IWW and return to work, or face the consequences. Only 700 took the deal, the rest chanted, yelled, and sang as they awaited their fate.

At 11am, 23 cattle cars were brought to Bisbee. When they arrived, 1,286 workers were loaded on as if they were cattle, and shipped out. The cars were full of manure, and reached around 90 degrees. No water was provided for the whole day.

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The workers were finally thrown out in Hermanas, New Mexico with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They were eventually transferred to Columbus, NM, where a Mexican Refugee camp let them in.

While the state and workers looked to prosecute those responsible, the state never officially went through with it.

[Wikipedia]

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