migra

n. the border patrol at the shared U.S. boundary with Mexico. Subjects: Spanish, Mexico, United States, Slang

Editorial Note: Used by Spanish-speaking undocumented immigrants as la migra. The border patrol, originally part of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, is now a part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection within the Department of Homeland Security. Etymological Note: Clipped form of Sp. migración ‘migration.’

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Citations: 1950 Bill Dredge Los Angeles Times (May 2) “Thousands of Mexicans Illegally Cross U.S. Border Each Month” p. 12: Maybe my water bottle will last and I will come to some place like San Bernardino, or to Los Angeles, and become lost there, from la migra—that is our name for the immigration. 1984 Ivor Davis @ San Ysidro, Calif. Globe and Mail (Toronto, Can.) (Mar. 31) “Nightly Ritual: Checker game on U.S. border with people as the pieces” p. P9: The Border Patrol, la migra to the aliens, is desperately seeking to boost its $533-million budget by $41 million. 2004 Ben Fox, Michelle Morgante @ Ontario, Calif. Kansas City Star (Mo.) (June 18) “Border Patrol Makes In-Country Sweep”: Alerts, often false, about “la migra” checkpoints (Spanish slang for immigration officials) have become as common as traffic reports on Spanish-language radio. 2006 Juan Castillo Austin American-Statesman (Texas) (Dec. 26) “Immigration debate gets down to language”: “People were lured, they were herded by coyotes, hunted by the migras (slang for immigration officers), lured into traps, devoured by labor,” Santa Ana said. “They are beasts of burden, and we have to ferret them out.”

Posted 22 Jun 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend