Wetback (slur)

A "Wetback" is a foreign national, generally Latin American, who has entered the United States in defiance of its laws and sovereignty and specifically via its southern border. While sometimes used simply as an ethnic slur,^{[citation needed]} the term was coined and applies only to illegal aliens who entered the U.S. by crossing the Rio Grande river --- presumably by swimming or wading across and therefore getting 'wet' in the process.

Its Spanish term is mojado which means "wet". The word has now broadened and is sometimes used to refer to any foreign national illegally immigrating to the Unites States of America.

Possibly, and distastefully, the term also refers to an early way of gauging the efforts of Mexican farm laborers. Farm supervisors could tell who was working hard by the amount of sweat produced. Ergo a "wet back" indicated a hard worker.

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 repatriated.