wetbacks
Wetback is an offensive slang term for a Mexican who has entered the United States illegally, from the image of swimming across the Rio Grande.
The term is a slur regardless of how someone actually crossed the border: The foreman hired wetbacks to work the harvest.
Though historically used in official contexts—including a 1954 deportation program—it is now widely recognized as derogatory.
Outer edge or limit
- Rio GrandeMajor southwestern waterway
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- migrantOne who relocates
- undocumentedNot officially recorded
deportation · bracero · labor · farmworker · asylum · refugee · naturalization · citizenship
Term expressing disapproval
- derogatoryExpressing criticism or disrespect
- epithetDescriptive tag for someone
- insultOffensive remark or action
- racismPrejudice based on ethnicity
xenophobia · bigotry · prejudice · denigration · vilification · dehumanization · disparagement · hatred
Preformed unfavorable opinion
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
bias · stigma · labeling · typecasting · scapegoating · pigeonholing · assumption · myth
border
Outer edge or limit
- Rio GrandeMajor southwestern waterway
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- migrantOne who relocates
undocumented · deportation · bracero · labor · farmworker · asylum · refugee · naturalization · citizenship · ICE
pejorative
Term expressing disapproval
- derogatoryExpressing criticism or disrespect
- epithetDescriptive tag for someone
- insultOffensive remark or action
racism · xenophobia · bigotry · prejudice · denigration · vilification · dehumanization · disparagement · hatred · contempt
prejudice
Preformed unfavorable opinion
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
misconception · bias · stigma · labeling · typecasting · scapegoating · pigeonholing · assumption · myth · misrepresentation
wetbackscitizens
Members of a nation
naturalized citizens · documented immigrants · green card holders · nationals · natives