‘Illegal alien’ is a slur
Illustration by Cassidy Davis.
Maya Sunderraj, Contributing Writer
Let’s get straight to the point: I believe that the label “illegal alien” is a slur.
The federal government has used “alien” as a legal term for decades, defining it as “any person not a citizen or national of the United States.” It’s legitimate legal terminology, but public sentiment has shifted. It’s now an ideograph — a politicized vehicle for prejudice.
An immigrant myself, this has been on my mind for years, especially since President Donald Trump’s first term. We’re witnessing the same fear mongering in the first weeks of his second term, only on another level.
Co-host of “Code Switch” Gene Denby, in his 2014 NPR article, “Why We Have So Many Terms For ‘People of Color,’” reviewed a history of labels, stating, “‘Oriental’ became ‘Asian’ became ‘Asian-American and Pacific Islander.’ ‘Colored’ changes to ‘Negro’ and then to ‘Black’ and ‘African-American.’”
This process can be applied to “illegal alien” — now primarily used by nativists — replaced with the euphemism “illegal immigrant,” then supplanted by “undocumented persons.” Despite the changing titles and semantics, the current administration predominantly uses the term “illegal alien” to frame people as the enemy — a method to control and persecute.
On Jan. 29, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, mandating the detention of undocumented immigrants accused of a range of crimes. Since then, around 500 to 1,000 people have been arrested per day, undocumented and documented alike. The majority of detainees appear to have zero criminal record beyond their undocumented status.
The same day, Trump released a White House memorandum declaring that he will begin working with Homeland Security and others to “expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States.”
Trump has since bragged that the migrant detention center will hold up to 30,000 detainees. This statement is unconfirmed and, presently, likely unsubstantiated.
During a Jan. 28 press briefing Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, referred to humans as “violent criminals” and “illegal criminals” and called illegal immigration an “invasion of illegal aliens.” She said ICE employees felt “empowered” by these changes. Leavitt focused her spiel on undocumented immigrants from Central and South America.
From ICE and the administration’s perspective, the label serves for workers and citizens to distance themselves from their actions and eschew accountability. Trump and Leavitt do not refer to undocumented people as people. This is a textbook example of dehumanizing a group for one’s personal agenda.
I think “illegal alien” no longer exists in the contemporary climate as a legal term, but as a politicized, derogatory one — a slur. Calling immigration an “invasion” is used to frame the act as one of violence or war.
The idea of calling an undocumented person an “illegal alien” sits like bile on my tongue. “Alien” is now a word that stands for hate and apathy.
This rhetoric, and the goal of mass deportation and detainment is ideologically the opposite of the “pro-life values” that the Trump administration claims that they fight for. It is hate speech. It makes my head spin.
What defines the American people? Is it papers? Is it the language we use? Is it a common enemy that brings us together?
Even if you’re unaware, you have likely met, cared for and worked with undocumented individuals before. The Trump administration promotes an “us versus them” narrative which is simply untrue — being American does not mean holding legal citizenship status, but rather being a kind, empathetic human; loving thy neighbor. Being American means individuals should have an inherent right to be different without being perceived as an inhuman enemy.
Understanding rhetoric is vital when condemning the current administration’s hateful language. Titles are powerful, and in a country that actively searches for groups to label as an enemy, the simple act of acknowledging people as people — not aliens — speaks volumes. Despite the importance I place on language, at the end of the day, our actions will always speak louder than our words.
You are intentionally confusing the terms immigrant and migrant. As an immigrant you should be more concerned about protecting the Constitution than symmantics.
I would recomment listening to George Carlin’s bit on euphemisms.
Shell shock used to describe being in shock from literally being shelled in a theatre of war. Then it became battle fatigue, operational exhaustion, and finally past traumatic stress disorder stripping out all of the original meaning, softening the language, and pascifying those who get offended on behalf of someone else.
Please stop writing propaganda pieces to manipulate the English language to mean what you want.
Alien definition: Merriam-Webster
1
a
: belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing : strange
an alien environment
b
: relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government : foreign
They came to this country illegally and are indeed ‘alien’ to our country and Constitution.
To get your citizenship.you had to swear an oath to the constitution. I hope you remember that when defending the “rights” of non-citizens of this country. Aiding and abetting an illegal crime is also a crime.
While I believe the title and main point of this article is intentionally provocative (it certainly worked on you) and that the term “illegal alien” is not on par with some of the more offensive words we’ve come up with to diminish one another, the author clearly feels it is a conversation worth having and that refusing to use terminology that is meant to dehumanize our neighbors is a morally correct stance and, I would add, does indeed uphold the values laid out in the constitution.
To your point about Shell Shock/PTSD: You have seemingly entered into reading this article with preconceived notions of the nature of words and language. Language is constantly evolving, as the author pointed out in the article. The term post-traumatic stress disorder is an accurate medical term to describe the consequences of living through a traumatic experience, it is not “stripping out all of the original meaning, softening the language, and pacifying those who get offended on behalf of someone else” because, believe it or not, veterans are not the only ones who suffer from PTSD.
Finally, the classic dictionary argument. Anyone can pull up a definition from Merriam-Webster to bolster their argument. Here let me show you:
Stupid
adjective
ˈstü-pəd
1
as in dumb
not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
Since you evidently did not readily absorb the ideas presented in this opinion piece, you are clearly stupid.
Have a good day.