Border Patrol Stories
Sardinese
I may or may not have invented this phrase. I think I did.
One morning I was checking the loading docks in Nogales, AZ. They were famous for using wet labor and today was no different. I was patrolling around, looking for potential customers. I spotted a group of four or five on the far side of the buildings. They did not see me and continued walking to the warehouse where they were going to work. As I rounded the building, I ran into another group and grabbed them. By the time I caught up with the original bunch, I had picked up enough to fill my Ramcharger. When I arrested them, I opened the back of the unit and the wets looked at me quizzically. I'm like, "WHAT?" One guy says, "No quepo." (I don't fit.). I looked at him like he was a complete idiot and told him, "SARDINESE."
He hunched his shoulders as if to say, "What do I do now?" The other wets in the car laughed at him and almost in unison, they all said, "SARDINESE." And like sardines in a tin, we all went back to NGL station for processing.
Since I was fortunate enough to have a web site, the term spread rapidly throughout the Patrol. So, yeah, I think I can honestly say I invented it. If anyone can verify its use prior to 1983, I will relinquish the claim.
Ray Harris
One morning I was checking the loading docks in Nogales, AZ. They were famous for using wet labor and today was no different. I was patrolling around, looking for potential customers. I spotted a group of four or five on the far side of the buildings. They did not see me and continued walking to the warehouse where they were going to work. As I rounded the building, I ran into another group and grabbed them. By the time I caught up with the original bunch, I had picked up enough to fill my Ramcharger. When I arrested them, I opened the back of the unit and the wets looked at me quizzically. I'm like, "WHAT?" One guy says, "No quepo." (I don't fit.). I looked at him like he was a complete idiot and told him, "SARDINESE."
He hunched his shoulders as if to say, "What do I do now?" The other wets in the car laughed at him and almost in unison, they all said, "SARDINESE." And like sardines in a tin, we all went back to NGL station for processing.
Since I was fortunate enough to have a web site, the term spread rapidly throughout the Patrol. So, yeah, I think I can honestly say I invented it. If anyone can verify its use prior to 1983, I will relinquish the claim.
Ray Harris
Sardinese
DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this story are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of HonorFirst.com, the U.S. Border Patrol, or any government agency. These stories are presented for historical and cultural insight and have been submitted by current or former Border Patrol employees with minimal editing for clarity.
