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Arellano: The banality of evil in the Border Patrol's secret anti-immigrant slur
Summary by The Los Angeles Editorial Desk Gustavo Arellano , as published by Los Angeles Times - California
· July 31, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Los Angeles Times - California · view original
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The Los Angeles Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Gustavo Arellano, as published by Los Angeles Times - California Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 31, 2026 Indexed here Jul 31, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key takeaway Further details about this issue can be found in the Los Angeles Times, which has reported on the matter, providing more context and information about the use of this term by Border Patrol workers.
In California, a longstanding issue has been uncovered regarding the language used by Border Patrol workers. For decades, they have utilized a specific slang term to refer to undocumented immigrants. This term is an onomatopoeic word that mimics the sound of someone being hit.
It has been in use for at least half a century. Further details about this issue can be found in the Los Angeles Times, which has reported on the matter, providing more context and information about the use of this term by Border Patrol workers.
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About this story
As published by Los Angeles Times - California . The Los Angeles surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit Los Angeles Times - California . Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom .
Category: local Published: July 31, 2026 Source: Los Angeles Times - California Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? In California, a longstanding issue has been uncovered regarding the language used by Border Patrol workers. For decades, they have utilized a specific slang term to refer to undocumented immigrants…
When was this published? This article was first published on July 31, 2026 by Los Angeles Times - California and curated for The Los Angeles readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Gustavo Arellano at Los Angeles Times - California. To learn more about how The Los Angeles selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more local coverage from The Los Angeles, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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