Wetback is aderogatory term used in the United States to refer to foreign nationals residing in the U.S., most commonlyMexicans. The word mostly targetsillegal immigrants in the United States.[1] Generally used as anethnic slur,[2] the term was originally coined and applied only to Mexicans who entered theU.S. state ofTexas fromMexico by crossing theRio Grande, which is theU.S. border, presumably by swimming or wading across the river and getting wet, i.e. getting their back wet, in the process.[3]
The first use of the termwetback inThe New York Times is dated June 20, 1920.[4] It was used officially by theUS government, includingDwight D. Eisenhower in 1954,[5] with "Operation Wetback", a project that involved the massdeportation of illegal Mexican immigrants.[6] Usage of the term appeared in mainstream media outlets until the 1960s.[7]
The term can be used as an adjective or verb. As an adjective, it pertains to activities involving Mexican illegal aliens in the United States. The earliest known recorded use in this way is byJohn Steinbeck in the novelSweet Thursday, the sequel toCannery Row, with the sentence "How did he get in thewet-back business?" It was originally used as a verb in 1978 inThomas Sanchez'sHollywoodland, with the meaning "to gain illegal entry into the United States by swimming the Rio Grande".[8]
The equivalent Spanish-language term used in Mexico, Central America, and by Latinos in the United States isespalda mojada, and is often shortened tomojado.[9] It is not normally considered derisive in those contexts.[10] For example,GuatemalanLatin Pop singerRicardo Arjona's 2006 song "Mojado" uses the word inoffensively, as he describes a migrant seeking a better life in another country, suggesting areclaiming of the word.
In the Laredo district alone, a speaker at a business men's dinner recently estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 of these 'wetbacks,' as they are called because of their method of entry, had crossed into Texas in that time.