All They Will Call You Will Be Deportees

Latino USA | Jul 11, 2025

In 1948, a plane crashed near Fresno. On that flight there were 28 Mexican citizens who were being deported from the United States. Everyone on board died. The American crew members had their bodies sent home to their families for a proper burial, but the 28 farmworkers were buried in a mass grave—nameless. Today, we’re bringing back the story of the man who made it his life mission to identify the 28 unnamed workers and connect with their families. We also bring you some updates on that search—including how this very episode contributed to it.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.

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This story originally aired in February of 2018.

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