Terminology Alert
Heads up: They are now “unauthorized immigrants.” Thanks for the update, Pew Hispanic Center. Thanks also for this population study which I’m guessing is intended to convince us the UIs should be A’d:
Unauthorized immigrants living in the United States are more geographically dispersed than in the past and are more likely than either U.S. born residents or legal immigrants to live in a household with a spouse and children. In addition, a growing share of the children of unauthorized immigrant parents–73%–were born in this country and are U.S. citizens.
Fascinating. Pew Hispanic Center should be saluted for inching the terminology a little farther away from the hateful “illegal alien” the United States government uses to describe … uh … aliens who are here … um … illegally, as opposed to resident aliens, the ones with green cards. “Illegal immigrant” was a laudable but clumsy effort to be more sensitive on the part of bleeding-heart open-border do-gooders. But “illegal” still suggests they are doing something wrong. “Unauthorized” seeks to correct that impression by putting the onus on those who have failed to authorize their immigration status.
Personally, I prefer “document-challenged Americans.” Because neither “unauthorized” nor “immigrant” are entirely free of a vague pejorative taint. Ultimatley, however, we’ll just have to call them “Americans,” because it is hurtful to point out their bureaucratic deficiencies.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 10:19 pm on Tuesday, April 14, 2009
2 Responses to “Terminology Alert”
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April 14th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
You go, Jules!
” ‘Unauthorized’ seeks to correct that impression by putting the onus on those who have failed to authorize their immigration status. ”
Ay Carumba!
April 15th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
The English speaking population still calls them “illegal aliens”.