Were you familiar with this term last week?

[HS Mom in NC]

I'm trying to figure out how regional this term is.

[HS Mom in NC]

Yes, being from the SW I've not only known this term, but I've used it in many in depth conversations about related topics.

[kokotg]

I had heard it before, but only the last time it was making the rounds because Trump used it. 

[Drama Llama]

I have heard and used the word for someone a migrant hires to take them across the border undocumented.  I have not heard it used for a slave trader.  

ETA: I'd rather not say where I live, other than it's in the US and no where near the border. 

Edited October 24, 2020 by BaseballandHockey

[Loowit]

I am from the PNW and I have heard the term and know what it means.  I am not sure if I have ever used it in conversations.  It is not a topic that comes up very often.

[ikslo]

MA, PA, then FL.  Heard it long before this political season.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I am also from the PNW and have heard the term and know what it means.

I think that I first heard it on tv - as part of a crime drama.  But I have also heard it elsewhere. 

[Ottakee]

I am in Michigan and have heard it and used it.  I have had several foster kids who came across the border with a coyote and told me stories of their crossings.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Oh and I've also heard the term "snakehead" for Chinese human traffickers (or perhaps other Asians too?  Not sure about that).  This is more prevalent in this geographic area. 

[frogger]

I've heard it a lot. I live in Alaska but that doesn't count since my Grandparents ranched on the border in Arizona.

[Pawz4me]

I've lived in NC all my life and have known what the term means for a long time, although I don't remember when I first learned about it. It was almost certainly in a news article. I've never had a reason to use it in conversation.

[Corraleno]

I lived in California and New Mexico for more than a decade (each), and I've been familiar with the term since at least the 80s.

[mathnerd]

I am from California - I know this term and have heard it used. I used to be a TV watcher 20 years ago and was also deeply interested in immigration issues at one time. So, yes, I am familiar with it (along with phrases like "You messed with the wrong Hombre") etc.  

[MercyA]

Yes, I've heard it (probably, like Pawz, in a news article), but never used it in conversation. Born, raised, and currently live in the Midwest. Lived in California for four years. 

Edited October 24, 2020 by MercyA

[regentrude]

Yes I read the term before on mainstream media, like CNN and The Economist.

[Pen]

Yes. I know some people who are in US having arrived with coyotes. The DACA made it more something that could be spoken about publicly. 

[Shoeless]

I had not heard the term until I moved to Texas, but yes, I know it. 

[Ausmumof3]

I only heard it recently.  Not something I’m familiar with.

[Kassia]

I don't know if I've ever heard it, but have read the terms in books I've read (fiction).  

I'm in the midwest and grew up in FL.  

 

[katilac]

Louisiana, yes, I heard it often and used it occasionally 

[Lecka]

I have heard coyote for crossing the US-Mexico border, and snakehead for bringing people from China.  
 

I’m from Oklahoma.  There are trafficked people along an Interstate here sometimes.  It will be in the news sometimes.  

Edited October 24, 2020 by Lecka

[rebcoola]

PNW and yes I've heard it.

[maize]

I learned it when living in Guatemala as a kid. Not for human trafficking but for people one paid to help one cross the border illegally.

[StillStanding]

Tennessee.

Yes--before Trump. I have not had to use the term while conversing. 

[Emba]

I’ve heard/used it, but then, I live in Texas. 

[Laura Corin]

I'm  from the UK and lived in Northern California for two years.  I have heard the term,  perhaps in a documentary? 

[mom2scouts]

I'm from the midwest. I've heard that term used often and over many years.

[Frances]

35 minutes ago, Loowit said:

I am from the PNW and I have heard the term and know what it means.  I am not sure if I have ever used it in conversations.  It is not a topic that comes up very often.

Same here.

[Lecka]

I heard it more with human trafficking when I was younger.  I have also heard it for crossing the border since I have been older.

I don’t know exactly where the line is drawn between human trafficking and crossing the border, though.

When I was younger I do think it was human trafficking, people being kept in poor conditions and things like that.  
 

But I would hear of it from 18-wheelers being found with a lot of people in the back with no water, and things like that.   Edit:  and very shady working conditions where people might be stuck somewhere with no way to leave, working way too much, not getting paid properly, etc.  

Edited October 24, 2020 by Lecka

[LMD]

I'm in Aus and yes I know the term, probably from crime type of tv. I just used it in conversation with dh a couple of days ago... I don't think I've ever watched a U.S. presidential debate.

[Arctic Bunny]

Canada.... I’ve heard it on movies/TV shows, but never used it.

[Clemsondana]

I don't think I've used it just because human smuggling isn't a standard conversation topic, but I don't remember not knowing what it means.  My parents, in their 70s, know the term.  We're in Appalachia and have mostly lived in the southeast (we did live in NM for a while, but we knew it before we lived there and have heard it since we moved back).  

[Carrie12345]

I’ve lived all my life in NJ and PA and I’ve known what a coyote was for as long as I can remember. 

[Halftime Hope]

Yes, I've heard the term for a long time. Rarely use it, although I run in anti-trafficking circles.  It doesn't mean a lot to the uninitiated. 

[eagleynne]

I've heard it around here (lower Midwest) for years. I think I learned it from the original CSI back in the day.

[Selkie]

I have known the term for many years. Not sure if I have ever used it in conversation. I have mostly lived in the midwest, but also in the northeast and the south for brief periods.

[City Mouse]

I lived in Houston forever before I moved to New Mexico 9 yrs ago. That term has been used for many years.

[teachermom2834]

Southeast no where near the border. 
 

I don’t know how long I have known this but it has been awhile. I thought it was common knowledge. 

[Farrar]

Seen it in films, news stuff, maybe in books. I think I've probably used it before. Never lived near any US borders unless you count all those embassies I pass constantly. Someone on my feed posted something implying that she did not know it (something along the lines of "what in the world is he trying to say this time"). I couldn't decide if she was being disingenuous or what. He did use a lot of insidery language, but that didn't seem unusual.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Farrar

[Spy Car]

Very familiar with the term. I think it is widely known and understood term here in Los Angeles.

In the main using "coyote" in this context as a human smuggler typically would be pronounced with a Spanish/Mexican inflection (as opposed to the Anglo/American pronunciation used to describe our local wild canines) .

Bill

 

[KungFuPanda]

It's a pretty common term.  I've heard it in conversation but I can't honestly remember if I've used it or not.  It's not unusual but it's also not a topic of local conversation. I've never lived anywhere near the border (beyond a few months in San Angelo, TX) so I think it's in the realm of American common knowledge. I have no idea if it's a global term that applies elsewhere or not.

Edited October 24, 2020 by KungFuPanda

[gardenmom5]

PNW - yes, I already knew what it meant.  \

 we are an area affected by them, even though weren't not near the southern border.

 

and as for the four legged kind . . . . . they'd better get their scrawny behinds back here and feast on my rabbits!

 

Edited October 24, 2020 by gardenmom5

[Wheres Toto]

I've heard it before, I'm in NJ.  I don't think I've ever used it but I could be wrong.  I think I heard it mostly in books. 

[TAFKAPastry]

Yeah, my whole life. It’s not uncommon at all where I’m from.

[SereneHome]

I didn't listen to the debate (I never listen to politicians talk)  but know the term from watching lots of TV. I never used it myself bc I don't have immigration conversations with people - makes my blood pressure go up.

But I thought everyone knew what it means......the things I learn on this board 🙂

Edited October 24, 2020 by SereneHome

[Tanaqui]

I've always been interested in this issue of immigration*, so yes, I'm familiar with the term.

 

* While nearly everybody who supports immigration reform simply wants reform, I've increasingly moved leftwards over the past decade or so and now want the borders to be open to virtually everybody. Keep out violent criminals, let the rest in. Almost nobody wants that, no matter what the rightwing tries to claim, but I'm convinced by now that a labor tariff - which is what immigration controls are - is counterproductive.

[Spryte]

Have not heard the word used for human traffickers, but more like a guide hired to help people cross the border.  
 

I lived and worked in the SW.  Probably learned the word in that context in the early 90s, in NM.  Definitely had conversations about it.

[brehon]

Born & raised in Houston; lived in D/FW area for several years; have lived in Central TX for the past 3 decades —

I am very familiar with the term and have used it in relevant conversations. 

[importswim]

I had not heard the term before the debate. I'm an immigrant from Europe (early 1990's) but live in Florida.

[Paige]

I've heard of it and have known about it for years but I just heard snakehead for the first time in this thread.