The illegal border-crossing industry has its own unique vocabulary.This is a guide to some of the terms and nicknames used throughout a Motherboard investigation on burner phones and human smuggling in the US-Mexico borderlands.
Ambos Nogales("Both Nogales") a major port of entry between sister cities Nogales, Sonora, Mexico; and Nogales, Arizonabajadorlocal slang for "steal," to literally "take down"; a "downer" is one who jumps guides and migrants in the desert
Ambos Nogales("Both Nogales") a major port of entry between sister cities Nogales, Sonora, Mexico; and Nogales, Arizonabajadorlocal slang for "steal," to literally "take down"; a "downer" is one who jumps guides and migrants in the desert
Advertisement
coyotea guide who crosses migrants over the border on footenganchadoreslocals who pick up migrants at bus stations and bring them to smugglersla líneathe line separating Mexico from the USla migrathe alphabet soup of US immigration and drug enforcement agencies operating in the borderlands.levantona kidnappingmotamarijuanael NorteAmericaplazacartel parlance for coveted turf, often major ports of entry like Ambos Nogalespollo("chicken") a migrantpollero("chickeneer") a human traffickerpuntero("pointer") one who spots for polleros, often from the vantage of a hill or rooftopteléfonos celulares de prepago / teléfonos celulares desechablesburner phones