maquiladora

American  

[muh-kee-luh-dawr-uh, mah-kee-ah-daw-rah] / məˌki ləˈdɔr ə, mɑˌki ɑˈdɔ rɑ /

noun

plural

maquiladoras

1. a factory run by a U.S. company in Mexico to take advantage of cheap labor and lax regulation.

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Etymology

Origin of maquiladora

1985–90; Mexican Spanish, perhaps < Spanish maquilar extract a toll

Example Sentences

Employees at the maquiladora, as the border plants are known, had long been represented by a union affiliated with the Confederation of Mexican Workers.

From Seattle Times • May 31, 2022

Mexican and local U.S. officials hope the maquiladora vaccination program will encourage the United States to reopen the land border with Mexico.

From New York Times • Jul. 26, 2021

This summer, the municipal government announced a new plan, called the Juárez Initiative, to repurpose an old export factory, or maquiladora, as a holding station for asylum seekers who are returned under M.P.P.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 1, 2019

Edita's daughter, Rosa, was working in one such maquiladora in 1995.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2019

It is the world’s busiest border crossing, and home to huge numbers of economic migrants, especially poor women, who work in the city’s maquiladora factories, resorts and seedy bars.

From The Guardian • Oct. 21, 2018