Wetback (slur)

For other uses, see: Wetback (disambiguation)

"Wetback" is a term, usually disparaging, for Mexicans in the United States, particularly illegal immigrants. It is generally used as an ethnic slur, and is sometimes applied to Mexican-Americans or others of Latin American descent. The term originally designated Mexicans who entered Texas by crossing the Rio Grande, presumably by swimming or wading across and getting their back wet in the process.

The first mention of the term in The New York Times is dated June 20, 1920. It was used officially by the US government in 1954, with Operation Wetback, a project where a large number of Mexican nationals were deported.

Wetback became a popular slur in other states with large illegal Mexican populations, such as California, Arizona and New Mexico, especially among those who felt adversely affected, whether by crime, loss of employment, or diminution of culture, by the large influx of illegal people in the late 20th century. An equivalent Spanish term, mojado, is sometimes used by legal immigrants and native-born Hispanic Americans as an insult to illegal immigrants. Another equivalent colloquial term for an illegal immigrant who crosses the border into the US is alambrista.