I never look at the term “illegal alien” as a derogatory term, only a factual one.
The left has had a fit over this, with there even being a movement to outlaw using the term, but the Trump administration just took a stance on it.
I have to admit, I was curious where this term originated, and it dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term really became popular in the 1970s when Spanish-speaking students used the term instead of the slur, “wetback.”
Democrats and advocacy groups have always considered this term to be another slur, a way of embarrassing those who crossed the border illegally.
This led to the use of terms such as “non-citizen” and “undocumented immigrant,” but that is just sugarcoating the truth.
The pushback on the left became so extreme over this term that Joe Biden issued a new policy that the term could not be used in his administration.
The terms "illegal alien" and "assimilation" were banned and replaced by "undocumented noncitizen" and "integration."
Troy Miller, the top official at Customs and Border Protection at the time, stated, "We set a tone and example for our country and partners across the world.
“We enforce our nation's laws while also maintaining the dignity of every individual with whom we interact. The words we use matter and will serve to further confer that dignity to those in our custody."
With Trump back in office, “illegal alien” is again being used, creating a meltdown on the left, so the Department of Homeland Security addressed the issue this week, stating, "DHS has no interest in the left’s open borders pronouns.” Then the statement poked a little fun at the left, adding, "Next thing you know you will be calling burglars ‘undocumented houseguests.’”
Democrats can whine all they want about this, but the fact of the matter is that the term “alien” is in our laws, specifically under 8 U.S.C (U.S. Code) 1182 and 1227, which refers to "inadmissible aliens" and "deportable aliens."
In 8 U.S.C. 1324(a) and 8 U.S.C. 1611, the terms "unlawful employment of aliens" and "aliens ineligible for federal public benefits” are used.
You know, I bet if you go back to the Clinton administration, you will hear Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and a host of other Democrats using that term quite often, and nobody had a problem with it then. It was only when the bad orange man used it that everyone got upset.
