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  1. Wetback (slur) - Wikipedia

    Mexican immigrants packed onto a truck for deportation in Operation Wetback (1954). Wetback is a derogatory term used in the United States to refer to foreign nationals residing in the U.S., …

  2. Operation Wetback | Meaning, Immigration, Summary, Bracero …

    Operation Wetback, U.S. immigration law enforcement campaign during the summer of 1954 that resulted in the mass deportation of Mexican nationals—1,100,000 persons according to the …

  3. The Largest Mass Deportation in American History

    Mar 23, 2018 · These Mexican immigrants had been caught in the snare of Operation Wetback, the biggest mass deportation of undocumented workers in United States history.

  4. WETBACK Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

    The meaning of WETBACK is —used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a Mexican who enters the U.S. illegally.

  5. Operation Wetback - TSHA

    Dec 1, 1995 · Explore the history and impact of Operation Wetback, a controversial U.S. immigration initiative aimed at repatriating undocumented Mexican immigrants during the …

  6. wetback - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

    Nov 1, 2025 · First used in the 1920s from the presumed effects of swimming or wading across the Rio Grande. Used by the U.S. Government in 1954 with Operation Wetback.

  7. Operation Wetback: The Roots of Immigrant Deportations Today

    In May 1954, the U.S. Border Patrol enacted “Operation Wetback,” a campaign to deport Mexican workers who were in the country illegally. The program succeeded in rounding up over 1 …

  8. What is the origin of the term “wetback” used to refer to Mexicans?

    Jun 11, 2023 · The term "wetback" is a derogatory term commonly used to refer to Mexican immigrants who enter the United States illegally by crossing the Rio Grande or other bodies of …

  9. Operation Wetback | History | Research Starters - EBSCO

    Operation Wetback was a controversial U.S. government initiative launched on June 17, 1954, aimed at addressing the increasing numbers of undocumented immigrants, primarily from …

  10. Operation Wetback - Encyclopedia.com

    The term wetback, which came into widespread use in Texas during the late 1940s and early 1950s, was a derogatory term used to describe Mexicans who waded or swam across the Rio …