Two Colorado lawmakers have proposed a bill, HB20-1294, that will replace the term "illegal alien" with "undocumented immigrant” in all public and government contracts. Inspired by a bill that banned the use of the term in New York City and introduced Feb. 12, the legislation is sponsored by Colorado state Rep. Susan Lontine and state Sen. Julie Gonzales. It will be heard by the Colorado General Assembly's House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs committee on Feb. 27.
Lontine believes that changing the wording to a neutral term like “undocumented immigrants” could “bend social sentiment in migrants’ favor,” The New York Times reported. While the Colorado bill does not yet include a penalty for violating the proposed ban, its authors hope to follow in New York City’s steps, which stipulates a fine of up to $250,000. According to the American Immigration Council, nearly one in every 10 Colorado residents is an immigrant. The state has a growing immigrant population, with immigrants comprising approximately 14% of all business owners in the state’s most populous city, Denver.
While many immigrant advocates are applauding the move to end the use of the degrading term, some organizations are against it. According to The Hill, some right-wing groups argue that banning the term is an infringement on the First Amendment: “The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, argues that “illegal alien” is the correct legal term, as used in the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act and the Supreme Court. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines "alien" as "any person not a citizen or national of the United States." According to CNN, in 2018 the Justice Department sent a memo to federal prosecutors that said not to use the term "undocumented immigrants" and instead to use "illegal alien" when referring to people accused of immigrating to the country illegally. “The word ‘undocumented’ is not based in U.S. code and should not be used to describe someone’s illegal presence in the country,” the memo read.
While some conservatives argued the term “illegal alien” was universally accepted and used widely by lawmakers, others have criticized it for what it is: dehumanizing. For his part, acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan told CNN that he did not support the term “undocumented.” "These aren't undocumented immigrants. They are illegal immigrants. They are here in this country illegally. They're obtaining jobs illegally,” Morgan said.
The term “illegal alien” is wrong to use, plain and simple. Even the former acting secretary of DHS said he avoided using the term. Yes, that’s right: A DHS official said it is wrong to use. Former acting secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan told The Washington Post he avoided the term and used the term migrant instead. "I think the words matter a lot," McAleenan said in the interview. "If you alienate half of your audience by your use of terminology, it's going to hamper your ability to ever win an argument.” In 2013, The Associated Press, which publishes a stylebook that guides news outlets throughout the nation, decided to stop using “illegal” to describe a person, arguing that only actions can be deemed illegal. It was never acceptable to use the term “illegal alien” and in this day and era, questioning whether or not it should be replaced is absurd.
Related: House Republicans used an anti-immigrant term and these two Democratic leaders weren't having it