RobLive: Operation Wetback

Everyone has a story, and today on Roblive, Victorio Rojas shares one of the most compelling ones we’ve ever heard. In Episode 68, hosts Robbie Scaro Jr. and Jim Chance sit down with Victorio Rojas—a man whose life has been a front-row seat to the history of the Central Valley. Born in Mexico and brought to Texas during the "Operation Wetback" era of 1954, Victorio’s journey takes us from the grueling sugar beet fields of Wyoming to the picket lines of the United Farm Workers (UFW) alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Victorio gets raw and transparent about the squalor of the migrant circuit, the racism he faced as a child, and the "Ganas" (ambition) that led him to Fresno State despite being told by his own high school counselor that college was a "waste of time." In this episode, we discuss: The 1954 "Operation Wetback" self-deportation and how his family returned. The reality of child labor in the 50s and 60s (Sun-up to Sun-down at age 7). Standing with the UFW: Being arrested 5 times in a single summer for farmworker rights. The 1992 Dinuba High School Walkouts and fighting for community representation. Why "paying it forward" is the ultimate goal of his upcoming book.