56 pages • 1-hour read
The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border
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Index of Terms
coyote
A person who smuggles people or drugs across the border for money. They often threaten violence and intimidate the families of migrants for ransom to release their loved ones.
“gimme load”
A partial load of drugs left behind by smugglers to distract and throw off Border Patrol agents who are pursuing them.
güey
Mexican slang for “dude.”
la migra
Spanish slang for the Border Patrol.
mercado
Spanish for a market or café.
mojado
Translates from Spanish to “wet,” short for racial slur “wetback.”
narco
Mexican slang for a drug lord or higher-up in a drug cartel.
pendejo
A very strong Spanish slang term for a stupid person.
sicario
An assassin for a Mexican drug cartel.
vato
Another Mexican slang word for “dude.”
“wetbacks” or “wets”
A derogatory slur for Mexican migrants.
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