Migrant's Bend Plaza celebrates LA's immigrant history, features monument dedicated to braceros

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles celebrated its immigrant history as hundreds of people came out for the opening of Migrant's Bend Plaza in downtown Sunday.

The centerpiece of the plaza is the Bracero Monument, which depicts a Mexican man leaving his family to head north to work in the U.S. during the Bracero Work Program.

The artist behind the monument, Dan Medina, spoke about his unique ties to the piece.

"When I heard about the subject matter, I was really interested because my stepfather, who taught me work ethic, who taught me basically everything I know as a human being, was a bracero," he said.

Medina says the sculpture took him about 13 months to finish.

The celebration also featured multiple popular Latin American musical groups.