The transition to Mexican labor was predicated on the rise of agri- business interests as a class, one that had a critical role in shaping public policy regarding use of Mexican labor. The lateral and vertical integration of large-scale farmers in California and other states culminated in the formation of the California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) and its parent organization, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), in 1919 and 1920, respectively. These federations grew rapidly and provided the farm employer class with power and legitimacy to pursue significant changes in agricultural labor policies at the national level. Two key developments during this phase served to consolidate the federations' preference for Mexican labor: the national debates on the Immigration Act of 1924, and the repatriation of Mexican and Filipino workers in the 1930s. Responding to various "exclusionary leagues" that sought to restrict specific categories of immigration, the CFBF and AFBF leadership carefully deliberated the farm labor question. On the one hand, growers needed to acknowledge the social pressure to exclude undesirable immigrants. At the same time, their labor needs required them to argue strongly for allowing certain immigrant groups to work in agriculture. The first case that tested the federations' strength and shaped their direction in regard to the farm labor question occurred during the debate on the Immigration Act of 1924. Speaking before various committees of the US Congress, the farm federation leaders were compelled to offer reasons why the Mexican quota provision should not be implemented. Lacking a viable alternative, they vehemently argued that the flexibility of Mexican laborers in times of economic uncertainty distinguished them from other immigrant and minority workers. Moreover, the flexible and controllable character of Mexican labor would deter labor unrest in the fields