Maya Sunderraj, Contributing Writer

Let’s get straight to the point: I believe that the label “illegal alien” is a slur. 

The federal government has used “alien” as a legal term for decades, defining it as “any person not a citizen or national of the United States.” It’s legitimate legal terminology, but public sentiment has shifted. It’s now an ideograph — a politicized vehicle for prejudice.

An immigrant myself, this has been on my mind for years, especially since President Donald Trump’s first term. We’re witnessing the same fear mongering in the first weeks of his second term, only on another level.

Co-host of “Code Switch” Gene Denby, in his 2014 NPR article, “Why We Have So Many Terms For ‘People of Color,’” reviewed a history of labels, stating, “‘Oriental’ became ‘Asian’ became ‘Asian-American and Pacific Islander.’ ‘Colored’ changes to ‘Negro’ and then to ‘Black’ and ‘African-American.’”

This process can be applied to “illegal alien” — now primarily used by nativists — replaced with the euphemism “illegal immigrant,” then supplanted by “undocumented persons.” Despite the changing titles and semantics, the current administration predominantly uses the term “illegal alien” to frame people as the enemy — a method to control and persecute. 

On Jan. 29, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, mandating the detention of undocumented immigrants accused of a range of crimes. Since then, around 500 to 1,000 people have been arrested per day, undocumented and documented alike. The majority of detainees appear to have zero criminal record beyond their undocumented status. 

The same day, Trump released a White House memorandum declaring that he will begin working with Homeland Security and others to “expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States.”

Trump has since bragged that the migrant detention center will hold up to 30,000 detainees. This statement is unconfirmed and, presently, likely unsubstantiated. 

During a Jan. 28 press briefing Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, referred to humans as “violent criminals” and “illegal criminals” and called illegal immigration an “invasion of illegal aliens.” She said ICE employees felt “empowered” by these changes. Leavitt focused her spiel on undocumented immigrants from Central and South America.

From ICE and the administration’s perspective, the label serves for workers and citizens to distance themselves from their actions and eschew accountability. Trump and Leavitt do not refer to undocumented people as people. This is a textbook example of dehumanizing a group for one’s personal agenda.

I think “illegal alien” no longer exists in the contemporary climate as a legal term, but as a politicized, derogatory one — a slur. Calling immigration an “invasion” is used to frame the act as one of violence or war. 

The idea of calling an undocumented person an “illegal alien” sits like bile on my tongue.  “Alien” is now a word that stands for hate and apathy. 

This rhetoric, and the goal of mass deportation and detainment is ideologically the opposite of the “pro-life values” that the Trump administration claims that they fight for. It is hate speech. It makes my head spin.

What defines the American people? Is it papers? Is it the language we use? Is it a common enemy that brings us together? 

Even if you’re unaware, you have likely met, cared for and worked with undocumented individuals before. The Trump administration promotes an “us versus them” narrative which is simply untrue — being American does not mean holding legal citizenship status, but rather being a kind, empathetic human; loving thy neighbor. Being American means individuals should have an inherent right to be different without being perceived as an inhuman enemy.

Understanding rhetoric is vital when condemning the current administration’s hateful language. Titles are powerful, and in a country that actively searches for groups to label as an enemy, the simple act of acknowledging people as people — not aliens — speaks volumes. Despite the importance I place on language, at the end of the day, our actions will always speak louder than our words.