Wetback
Wetback ( English : wet back ) is a derogatory term for illegally immigrated to the United States Mexicans , especially those who have just arrived. Spanish counterparts are Mojado ( Nasser ) or Alambrista ("Drahtler", i.e. fence climbers ). The term comes from the fact that a large number of illegal immigrants from Mexico swim or wade across the Rio Grande to get to Texas . While the term was originally only applied to Mexicans living illegally in the United States , it now sometimes includes Latinos of non-Mexican origin.
History of the term
Wetbacks as a term for Mexican immigrants can be found in an article in the New York Times as early as 1920 . When illegal immigration from Mexico increased sharply after World War II , the term gained popularity. He was finally picked up by the US government in 1954 for Operation Wetback , during which large-scale illegal immigrants were deported from the US to Mexico . The action officially included illegal immigrants of all nationalities . In fact, however, the focus was on Mexicans, with the definition of “illegality” being very broad.
Operation Wetback helped spread the term. Today he is seen as offensive or racist by many Hispanics .
Cultural reception
A 1953 film is called Wetback and is about illegal immigration from Mexico to the United States. Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary is a 2005 Canadian documentary that explores the same subject from a Canadian perspective.
Web links
- Patricia Montane (2003): Wetback on Interactive Dictionary of Racial Language (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rio Grande Wetbacks: Mexican Migrant Workers . In: Education Resources Information Center . Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- ↑ www.doubletounged.org , accessed August 10, 2009
- ^ New York Times
- ↑ a b Interactive Dictionary of Racial Language ( Memento from March 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive )