As the Great Depression set in for the United States and the rest of the world in the 1930s, many Americans found themselves hit with harsh economic and social struggles. America’s once-booming economy essentially collapsed upon the ruins of post-World War I Europe. For many Mexicans living in the United States, likewise, the Great Depression was a period of great angst and anxiety. As whites headed west from hard hit areas like Oklahoma and Kansas in search of work in the agricultural fields of California, they displaced many Mexican workers, as American businesses were often quick to hire whites over those deemed of color. This led to tensions in these areas. For the first time, America saw new immigration laws and practices that targeted Mexican nationals living within the United States.