Punjabi Mexican American - Punjabi Immigration

Punjabi Immigration

For decades in the early 20th century, Punjabi farming families had sent their sons out of Punjab to earn money. Intending to return to the Punjab, only a handful of men brought their wives and families. In the United States, however, due to changed immigration laws it was not possible for the families of Punjabi workers to join them. Beyond this, poor wages and working conditions convinced the Punjabi workers to pool their resources, lease land and grow their own crops, thereby establishing themselves in the newly budding farming economy of northern California. In northern California’s Sacramento Valley, Punjabis tended to work in gangs, and were called “Hindu crews”.