But if such proposals are so impractical, why are they at the heart of the current debate? First, the deceptively simple distinction between illegal and legal immigrants allows us to dissolve our historical ambivalence toward all immigrants, albeit in bad faith. As it appeared in Congress earlier this spring, this false dichotomy allows us to attribute all the problems of mass migration to illegals and all virtues to the legal. Politicians mistakenly assume that attacking the former will not cost them the support of the latter. Of course, the fact that immigrant advocates have abandoned illegals, helping to legitimize many of these misguided proposals, explains why the rest of us have joined the fight. Because even though they legally resemble their friends, neighbors and compatriots here, illegals are more vulnerable and vulnerable. And without voting, they have limited ability to hold accountable those who claim to represent their interests. In short, illegal immigrants are the weak link in the migration chain. If “illegal immigrant” is inaccurate and racially problematic, what term should be used instead? Pro-immigrant Liberals often prefer the term “undocumented immigrants.” The nonprofit Define American, in its critique of phrases such as “illegal immigrant” and “illegal alien,” recommends “undocumented Americans.” But the “undocumented” also have their faults. For many Conservatives, “undocumented immigrants” smacks of euphemism, making it seem like it`s simply an administrative or administrative mistake — as if a document had been misplaced or improperly issued. And “undocumented immigrant” is itself inaccurate, as a person can have many documents even if they have not entered the country legally or do not have federal permission to continue residing in the country. New York City residents, for example, can get ID regardless of their immigration status.
And “undocumented Americans,” presumably meant to challenge the idea that only citizens are Americans, could also be problematic in imposing a label on people they don`t necessarily support themselves — after all, not everyone identifies as American or wants to be considered American. But even if we had the means to reliably distinguish illegal immigrants from legal immigrants, it would still not be easy. Because at this point, we would run into the false assumption that illegals are a distinct and separate population that exists independently of legal immigrants and the rest of American society. Click on the brochure in your language to find a dictionary with terms such as “undocumented” or “irregular migrant” in all EU and UN languages and to find out why the term “illegal migrant” should not be used. The term most often heard in American news is “illegal immigrant,” which is also different from immigrants. Illegal immigrants are different from regular immigrants because they entered a country illegally or entered the country legally on a visa and exceeded their allotted time. Illegal immigrants in the United States are entitled to basic services, such as education and medical care, but they are not entitled to other benefits. The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with its network partners. The main tool is a pocket leaflet (see below) containing the reasons why the term “illegal migrant” is not used, a lexicon with translations of “undocumented migrant” and/or “irregular migrant” in all EU and UN languages, and an overview of key institutions that have already committed to using precise terminology regarding undocumented migrants. If immigrants stay in another country for a period of time, they can naturalize.
You can apply for permanent residence after living in Germany for seven to eight years. In the United States, it is three to five years. The word “authority,” for example, is ambiguous between an entity that actually has the power to make a particular decision and an entity that should have that authority (i.e., has the right or right to do so). When we say, “The DMV is the authority that decides to whom a driver`s license is issued,” we mean authority in the first descriptive sense. When we say, “Women should be the authorities on whether or not abortion is legal,” we mean authority in the second sense loaded with values. Often we use “authority” in both directions. When we say, “Parents are the authorities for the well-being of their children,” we might think both that parents have the power to decide the well-being of their children and that they should have that power. Sometimes it is not clear which meaning of “authority” is used, or “authority” can be used in one sense, but implies connotations of the other meaning or be (wrongly) interpreted in this way. The Day Without Immigrants protests on February 16 across the country prompted me to comment on our immigration situation. The protest itself and its coverage by the media and others completely seek to distort the narrative by lumping illegal and legal immigrants together.
The ongoing debate over such policies also allows immigrant advocates to walk on high – and safe – moral ground without addressing more fundamental and difficult issues. Of course, immigrant advocates are right to criticize CLEAR, proposals that unfairly and shamelessly target illegals. But the restrictionists who push these simplistic ideas have themselves become easy targets for their pro-immigration critics. The result is a largely false debate. By lumping illegal and legal immigrants together, the “let them all stay” people are vigorously trying to cover their tracks, so that the real problem, illegal immigration, is lost in the process. This must not happen. The United States is considered by many people to be a very desirable place to live, as evidenced by the number of people who want to come here. There are many reasons for this, and immigrants of both stripes have played a major role in this. Young migrants from the Brighter Futures group explain what it means to be called “illegal”: Click here to listen to the podcast.
Most recently, in April 2021, the Biden administration ordered U.S. immigration authorities to replace the term “illegal alien” (used throughout U.S. immigration law) with “undocumented non-citizen.” Aviva Chomsky Professor of History and Coordinator of Latin American Studies at Salem State University, USA and author of the book “Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal” (Beacon Press, 2014). The latest proposed “solution” to the current American immigration dilemma was recently announced in Sacramento. The California Lawful Employment and Residency (CLEAR) initiative, supported by many of the same activists who passed Proposition 187, would criminalize renting or selling property to illegal immigrants.