[wetibbe]

Generally it is a catch phrase in common usage, perhaps urban dictionary language, broadly interpreted by many as someone who speaks Spanish. An alternate word is Hispanic, generally also meaning Spanish speaking.

I have a "network partner", friend, colleague, that is of PuertoRican descent, one of those opposed to illegal aliens and she is the most vehemently opposed. Absolutely against. She despises the word Latino. Gone to great lengths to define it.

I don't recall precisely the statistics but the vast majority of illegal aliens, in numbers, come from Latin America *( So what is Latin America ? ). 60% from Mexico. When we look at the demographics of Mexico we find a significant mixture of nationalities and cultures. The Conquistadores had Mexicans divided into 18 categories. One of interest is that about 5% are actually true Meso Americans, Indians, living up in the mountains and who speak native tongue and not Spanish. And those in Maya territory that are separatist Mayans. Indeed Vicente Fox has a Scottish name and a father of Scottish descent.

I think that by numbers, the border jumpers are predominantly campesinos, poor and badly educated. The Guatemalans here in New York are by far the poorest and worst. Some apprehended could not read or count numbers. They set up camps in the woods on the outskirts of towns, in urban areas, ramshackle hovels built with scraps and stolen lumber. They drank all day, played cards, fought, shop lifted, killed and roasted wild game and lived like animals, broke into cars, garages and homes. Some sneaked into the schools at night in winter to sleep in a warm place. Some of the churches allowed them to sleep in the church. It got so bad that the fathers of children went out on vigilante patrols to protect families.

They all had one thing in common. They broke many laws. *( All of the drug running, human trafficking, counterfeiting, identity theft and on and on is too extensive to post ).

I lived in Latin America. I know them up close. There are certainly many upstanding, well educated, good people there. I worked with them. But there are huge numbers out in the campo living in oil drum and cardboard shacks, with dirt floors, and in the barrios surrounding cities. The kids don't go to school and pick pocket and steal to survive. That' what we are getting here coming across illegally.

Brazilian police were actually shooting them, paid by shop keepers. *( Yes, it's true ). And the Oligarchs want to dump them on us to get rid of the burden.