Have you heard- the term "illegal alien" is not constitutional?

[salvadore94]

A diversity plan from a group of journalists says reporters should not be using the term "illegal aliens" because it is not constitutional.

"Frequent use of the phrases 'illegal immigrant' and 'illegal alien' by our mainstream media is being questioned in order to remain faithful to the principles of our U.S. Constitution," Leo Laurence wrote in the "Diversity Toolbox" column on the website for the Quill, which is produced by the Society of Professional Journalists.

The term "illegal immigrant," in fact, is cited in a recent style book for the Associated Press, which often has advertised it is the world's oldest and largest news gathering organization, as "the preferred term, rather than 'illegal alien' or 'undocumented worker.'" (read the entire article here- http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oG7nn7fg5N6EAA2epXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE0dmM1ZGF2BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA1FJMDE2XzE4MA--/SIG=11n8o102c/EXP=1292882043/**http%3a//www.wnd.com/%3fpageId=240925)

NAHJ is concerned with the increasing use of pejorative terms to describe undocumented people living in the United States. NAHJ is particularly troubled with the growing trend of the news media to use the word “illegals” as a noun, shorthand for "illegal aliens". Using the word in this way is grammatically incorrect and crosses the line by criminalizing the person, not the action they are purported to have committed. NAHJ calls on the media to never use “illegals” in headlines.

Shortening the term in this way also stereotypes undocumented people who are in the United States as having committed a crime. Under current U.S. immigration law, being an undocumented immigrant is not a crime, it is a civil violation. Furthermore, an estimated 40 percent of all undocumented people living in the U.S. are visa overstayers, meaning they did not illegally cross the U.S. border.

In addition, the association has always denounced the use of the degrading terms “alien” and “illegal alien” to describe undocumented immigrants because it casts them as adverse, strange beings, inhuman outsiders who come to the U.S. with questionable motivations. “Aliens” is a bureaucratic term that should be avoided unless used in a quote.

There is even a handbook instructing journalists which words are and are not acceptable: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oG7nn7fg5N6EAA3.pXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE0ZG1xMDlzBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNARjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA1FJMDE2XzE4MA--/SIG=12u917b71/EXP=1292882043/**http%3a//www.nahj.org/nahjnews/articles/2006/March/immigrationcoverage.shtml

Do they make a good case, or is this just more PC nonsense?

[bellden]

According to a band of perfectly ordinary lying enemy Democrats, the term "illegal alien" is not constitutional. That's BECAUSE it's an honest term. ALL Democrats demand use of DISHONEST language.
DEMOCRATS coined "illegal immigrant," when in fact no such thing is possible. By definition you are not an immigrant AT ALL unless you obey the legal process.
"Undocumented worker" is EXACYTLY as honest as "unilateral boyfriend" to describe a rapist.
NAHJ is concerned with the increasing use of HONEST LANGUAGE to describe CRIMINAL INFILTRATORS hostile to the United States.
Under current U.S. immigration law, being an "undocumented immigrant" IS INDEED A CRIME. Since CONVICTION can ALSO yield "civil penalties," LIARS seize upon that fact to claim it's a "civil violation," when in fact no such thing CAN EXIST in any section of American law.
Although a lot of "undocumented people" living in the U.S. are visa over-stayers, NAHJ is PARTICULARLY concerned with soft-pedaling the description of HOSTILE CRIMINAL INFILTRATORS.
“Alien” and “illegal alien” are HONEST LEGAL TERMS, which is why all Democrats oppose using them. "Undocumented immigrants" do not and CANNOT exist at all so use of the term is itself DISHONEST unless used in a quote.

[bardoul]

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[demarco]

Obviously PC nonsense. They're still trying to brainwash us into believing that there is no difference between illegal aliens and legal Hispanic residents.

They obviously haven't thought much about what will happen when a large number of White Americans come to agree with them.

[bean]

What is unconstitutional is those idiots trying to force people to never say a word. Absolutely ridiculous.

[ern]

Perhaps overstayers is more pc. Cr4p!

[rumford]

It is just more PC nonsense.

[gall]

On Tuesday, an article appeared in the online version of The Virginian-Pilot (Pilotonline.com) which described a round-up by federal agents of 20 illegal aliens in the Hampton Roads area. All of them had criminal records in this country, and many have been previously deported.

Now for the interesting part of this story…

The reporter, Tim McGlone, wrote the following headline to tell this story: “Feds arrest 20 illegal visitors in sweep.”

He actually referred to illegal aliens, all of whom had prior criminal convictions, as “visitors.”

The article elicited dozens of angry comments and by Wednesday, the headline had been re-written and the term “illegal visitors” was replaced with “illegal immigrants.”

According to his bio, McGlone is a crime reporter with 20 years experience in the newspaper business. As such, it hardly seems possible that his unique way of describing illegal aliens was simply a mistake.

Of course, like most newspapers throughout the country, The Virginian-Pilot leans hard to the left and that political stance is often evident in their reporting.

How many times have we seen an illegal alien described as an “undocumented worker” or “migrant?”

The Associated Press stylebook recommends the term “illegal immigrant” be used when describing someone in the country illegally.

However, the American press does not like that term and the image it conveys…so they use terms such as “undocumented” and now the laughable moniker of “visitor.”

One wonders how McGlone would describe a bank robbery. Perhaps, with the following headline: “Bank visitor makes undocumented withdrawal.”

[ailwyn]

criminalizing the person, well of course it does, the person is a criminal under the law. It is a misdemeanor crime which carries a sentence of 6 months in jail and a fine of $250.00. So I guess every misdemeanor that Americans are serving time in jail for aren't crimes either. Hypocritical. Now they are trying to change the dictionary and the meaning of illegal alien. I know where they can put their pc nonsense.

[ashly]

"Illegal alien" is a legal term, just as "resident alien" is a legal term. "Illegal immigrant" is a meaningless mishmash of words since "immigrant", by definition, means someone that has submitted to the legal process of immigration. "Migrant" is the term that best describes the tens of millions of persons residing illegally inside the US, the EU and any other number of localities.