Wetback (slur)
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- For other uses, see Wetback (disambiguation).
Wetback is a derogatory term for a Mexican or Central American who is in the United States illegally. The term is based on the presumption that the person in question swam or waded across the Rio Grande to get into the United States, getting their back wet in the process. "Wetback" may also be used as a blanket term to describe anyone of the Mestizo race, although this is less common. The English term was first used in 1920s and saw official use by the U.S. Government in 1954 with Operation Wetback. It is used interchangeably with the Spanish term, mojado.
The Spanish-language translation espalda mojada – or, more tersely, mojado – is used in a similar sense by Hispanic Americans. Espalda mojada is also used in an equally pejorative way in Spain to who cross the Straits of Gibraltar.
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