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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 · Byline on the source page: Gustavo Arellano , as published by Los Angeles Times - California
· July 31, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Los Angeles Times - California · view original
For at least half a century, Border Patrol workers have used the onomatopoeic word "tonk," referring to the sound of someone getting hit, as slang for undocumented immigrants.
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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 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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What is this story about? For at least half a century, Border Patrol workers have used the onomatopoeic word "tonk," referring to the sound of someone getting hit, as slang for 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 News coverage from The Los Angeles, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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