海角大神

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R) of Georgia is no stranger to the illegal immigration issue. Recently, he was on a 鈥渇act-finding mission鈥� to the US-Mexican border, where he defended his tough policies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not xenophobia on my part,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f I had to choose from immigrants across the globe, my favorite alien would be our Hispanic and Latino residents coming from across the Southern border.鈥�

Being Latino, I rolled my eyes. Though I understand the point Mr. Gingrey was trying to make, did he have to say 鈥渕y favorite alien?鈥� It reminded me of that old TV show 鈥淢y Favorite Martian.鈥� Most immigrants would rather not be called 鈥渁liens,鈥� since the word carries a negative connotation. Nobody ever refers to his or her grandparents as 鈥渁liens.鈥�

Gingrey鈥檚 words illustrate a simple fact: Many Americans don鈥檛 know how to talk about the people at . But it鈥檚 a conversation we should have, because language plays such a critical role in framing any issue.

IN PICTURES:

Strips a person of their humanity

For starters, I suggest we avoid using the 鈥淚-word鈥� (鈥渋llegal鈥�). When we call someone 鈥渋llegal,鈥� it strips them of their humanity. Nobody refers to Martha Stewart as an 鈥渋llegal,鈥� and she is a convicted felon. The standard should be no different for others. Consider that it is far easier to feel resentment or fear towards 鈥渋llegals鈥� than towards our neighbors, employees, and co-workers 鈥� which in many cases is exactly who the undocumented are. Calling somebody 鈥渋llegal鈥� criminalizes the person, not the action they are purported to have committed.

Notice I said purported. As an attorney, I have to mention that referring to someone as an 鈥渋llegal immigrant鈥� violates one of our country鈥檚 core values. Under our Constitution, all people 鈥� not just citizens 鈥� are entitled to a presumption of innocence, as guaranteed by the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth amendments. Only a judge, not a journalist, politician, or even a police officer, can ascertain whether someone is in the country illegally.

One-size-fits-all criminal label

What鈥檚 more, the term 鈥渋llegal immigrant鈥� is imprecise. Of the 11 million undocumented people currently here, the Pew Center estimates 45 percent entered legally and overstayed their visas. The ranks of the undocumented include asylum seekers, victims of trafficking, and refugees. It is inaccurate and unfair to slap them with a one-size-fits-all criminal label.

I confess that I have used 鈥渋llegal鈥� or 鈥渋llegal immigrants鈥� in my own writing. I did so because writing 鈥渦ndocumented migrant鈥� or 鈥渦ndocumented immigrant鈥� seemed so cumbersome. 鈥淚llegal鈥� was often an easier shorthand. Was this my best journalism? And is 鈥渋llegal鈥� a noun? No, on both counts.

Still, it baffles me that the Associated Press, whose Stylebook is used as a guide by many in the media, continues to recommend the use of 鈥渋llegal immigrant.鈥� The AP鈥檚 deputy standards editor says the term is 鈥渁ccurate and neutral for news stories.鈥�

Beyond words to violence

Yet many Hispanics find the word 鈥渋llegal鈥� to be offensive and derogatory, since it is frequently directed at Latinos regardless of their immigration status. ColorLines magazine, sponsor of the 鈥淒rop the I-word鈥� campaign, maintains that use of the term 鈥渋llegal鈥� fosters a hateful climate for immigrants, legal and otherwise, and for Hispanics. I couldn鈥檛 agree more.

One doesn't have to look hard to see examples of the devastating impact of the hate that can arise from dehumanizing terminology. In Arizona, self-styled "border activist鈥� Shawna Forde was just convicted of masterminding a home invasion that left a Latino man and his nine-year-old daughter dead. Ms. Forde has hoped to rob them in order to fund her anti-illegal immigration militia group.

Not political correctness, but political necessity

I applaud news organizations like The Nation and the Miami Herald for recognizing that 鈥渦ndocumented immigrant鈥� or 鈥渦ndocumented migrant鈥� are the preferred terms to use when discussing illegal immigration.

How much do you know about the US Constitution? A quiz.

For me, the best reason to avoid the term 鈥渋llegal鈥� is that it pollutes an already complicated debate. If we dismiss millions of undocumented people as faceless 鈥渋llegals,鈥� we are playing into the hands of extremists who would prefer that we do so. But if we remove emotion and rhetoric from the discourse, maybe our country can move forward with a rational discussion of immigration policy. And that has nothing to do with political correctness, and everything to do with political necessity.

Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and columnist in New York City.