The Biden administration is reportedly instructing administration workers to use new language when referring to illegal immigrants: terms such as “alien” and “illegal” are to be jettisoned; “alien” to be replaced by “noncitizen” or “individual” and “illegal” to be replaced by “undocumented.”
Axios reports that acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Tracy Renaud recently signed a memo to employees urging them to utilize “more inclusive language in the agency’s outreach efforts, internal documents and in overall communication with stakeholders, partners and the general public.”
“Other changes include using ‘undocumented noncitizen’ or ‘undocumented individual’ rather than ‘illegal alien’ and ‘integration or civic integration’ instead of ‘assimilation,’” Axios added.
Former Trump administration official Robert Law, who works at the Center for Immigration Studies, commented, “By statute, ‘alien’ literally means a person not a U.S. citizen or national. That is not offensive, and neither is ‘assimilation.’”
The terms “illegal” and “alien” are part of the U.S. Code; 8 U.S. Code § 1325 – “Improper entry by alien,” states:
(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
(b) Improper time or place; civil penalties Any alien who is apprehended while entering (or attempting to enter) the United States at a time or place other than as designated by immigration officers shall be subject to a civil penalty of—(1)at least $50 and not more than $250 for each such entry (or attempted entry); or (2) twice the amount specified in paragraph (1) in the case of an alien who has been previously subject to a civil penalty under this subsection. Civil penalties under this subsection are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be imposed.
8 U.S. Code § 1365 – “Reimbursement of States for costs of incarcerating illegal aliens and certain Cuban nationals,”states:
(a)Reimbursement of States
Subject to the amounts provided in advance in appropriation Acts, the Attorney General shall reimburse a State for the costs incurred by the State for the imprisonment of any illegal alien or Cuban national who is convicted of a felony by such State.
(b)Illegal aliens convicted of a felony An illegal alien referred to in subsection (a) is any alien who is any alien convicted of a felony who is in the United States unlawfully and—(1)whose most recent entry into the United States was without inspection, or (2)whose most recent admission to the United States was as a nonimmigrant and—(A) whose period of authorized stay as a nonimmigrant expired, or(B)whose unlawful status was known to the Government, before the date of the commission of the crime for which the alien is convicted.