Today In Labor History June 29, 1936: Jesus Pallares, founder of the 8,000-member coal miners’ union, La Liga Obrera de Habla Espanola, was deported from the U.S. as an "undesirable alien." During the 1934 La Liga strike against the Gallup American Copper Company, in New Mexico, the governor declared martial law & used the National Guard to close off the town for 5 months. White supremacists and proto-fascist groups led the fight to halt economic relief to the striking Mexican miners. When a union organizer was arrested for leading an anti-eviction action, someone shot at the courthouse, killing the sheriff. This led to the arrest and deportation of 100 Mexican miners.
