US officials banned from using the words 'illegal' and 'foreigner': changing laws ahead

The Biden administration is urging Department of Homeland Security officials to stop using phrases such as "illegal alien" in favor of more "inclusive" terminology, writes Fox News.

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Acting Director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Tracy Renaud recently signed a memorandum that, according to a USCIS spokeswoman, "aligns our language practice with the administration's guidelines for the use of immigration terminology by the federal government."

Axios first reported that a February 12 memo urges officials to stop calling a person "alien" in favor of a "non-citizen" (noncitizen). It also states that officials should refer to an “undocumented individual” or “undocumented noncitizen”, not an “illegal alien”. The memo also recommends "integration" rather than "assimilation".

“This change is intended to encourage more inclusive language in the agency's communications efforts, internal documents, and general communications with stakeholders, partners, and the general public,” USCIS spokesman Joe Sowers said in a statement. “The guidance does not affect legal, policy, or other operational documents, including forms, where the use of terms (e.g., applicant, petitioner, etc.) as defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act would be most appropriate.”

The transition is part of a broader administration move to rewrite immigration and illegal immigration.

BuzzFeed News reported that ICE officials switched from illegal alien to noncitizen in comments to reporters, and DHS Acting Secretary David Pekoske used the term noncitizen to denote illegal immigrants who could be the target of ICE.

On the subject: How an illegal immigrant can be legalized in the USA

Meanwhile, the immigration reform bill proposed by the Biden administration, along with a number of other sweeping immigration changes, will replace terminology in US immigration laws.

Although the text of the bill has yet to be published, a newsletter prepared by Biden's transition team ahead of the inauguration says the law is removing the word “alien” from immigration laws and replacing it with the word “noncitizen”. The newsletter says the move "recognizes America as a nation of immigrants."

"While this may be a symbolic change to some, we are removing the word 'alien' from the immigration code and replacing it with 'noncitizen,'" said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who is leading the effort to pass the legislation.

The Senate said last month: "We will no longer dehumanize people without papers."

Immigration activists and lawmakers have long fought over the vocabulary associated with immigration. The word “alien” has long been used in the US code and immigration law in general, but has met with opposition from liberal activists and cities. Last year, New York City officials announced they would no longer call people "aliens" or "illegal immigrants."

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

Meanwhile, under the Trump administration, conservatives have also fought over language. BuzzFeed News reported in 2019 that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to change all references to the term “foreign national” to “alien” in the agency's policy manual.

A USCIS spokesman at the time told the publication that it was in line with the Immigration and Citizenship Act (INA).

"Under the INA, the term 'alien' means 'any person who is not a citizen or national of the United States,'" he said.

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