A Tennessee Republican interjected an ethnic slur into a story about migrant workers during debate on the statehouse floor.

Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin) used the term “wetback” while speaking in a subcommittee meeting on a law that would institute a statewide ban on ban sanctuary cities in Tennessee and compel law enforcement to detain immigrants of certain classes, the Tennessean reports.

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Reedy’s story was about a time he and a friend rode a bus to work alongside migrant farmworkers on an Idaho apple orchard for some extra cash. Reed described seeing “a little Mexican fellow sitting up front behind the bus driver” who the other farm workers were teasing. Reedy asked why they were teasing him.

“And he said, ‘Well, he’s a wetback,'” Reedy said, continuing on to repeat the term once again to explain that the friend meant the man was “here illegally.”

“(They) said, ‘He’s here illegally and if he was not here, one of their family members could have that job,'” Reedy said. “And I was like, ‘Well, it makes sense to me.’”

Reedy is a conservative who was named “Family Champion” by the Family Action Council of Tennessee in 2016 for his voting record on restricting abortion and denying rights to gay people.

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