Colorado Bill Proposes to Change ‘Illegal Alien’ to ‘Undocumented Immigrant’

A lawmaker from Colorado had proposed to replace the term 'illegal alien' with 'undocumented immigrant.' The proposed change of the term was introduced by the lawmaker on Thursday. The proposal had been heard in the states of California and New York City said an article from USA Today.

Several efforts for a similar cause had been proposed to contend with how language is conflicted with conversations involving immigration.

If the proposed changes of the terms are passed, the Colorado House Bill (sponsored by Representative Susan) will obligate public contracts to change 'illegal alien' with an undocumented immigrant. This is a similar law from California wherein the term 'alien' was terminated in the labor code of the state in 2015. Also, in September, New York banned derogatory use of the term as an act pf preventing discriminatory acts involving the immigration status of people in the country.

The Colorado House Bill's Supporters vs Non-supporters

Some people expressed their disagreement with the passing of the bill to legalize the change of the term 'illegal alien.' Some of these people state that the term had been used as a legal term to describe the individuals who enter United States soil without authorization. Also, they said that the term is being used in the Immigration and Nationality Act and other federal laws. According to Hans von Spakovsky of the think tank Heritage Foundation and a non-supporter of the bill believed that the proposed alternative to the term illegal alien was not correct and not precise.

A Similar Bill in 2019

On the other hand, some supporters of the effort had expressed their disagreement with the proposed bill. They said that the term 'illegal alien' is being used for people who went to the United States of America without authority from the country. They believed that the term dehumanizes immigrants. In 2019, Representative Joaquin Castro contacted Congress to change the term with 'foreign national.' It was his way of introducing a new bill that creates a more welcoming environment for this group of people.

According to Castro, it is important to consider the dignity of immigrants with due respect. He said that these immigrants may have fled their originating nation due to intense violence and prosecution. He said that the language used to describe them should be humane. He expressed how the words 'alien' and 'illegal alien' make the community of migrants demonized and dehumanized.

The 2019 Bill was not able to survive in the committee stage. However, studies had revealed that anti-immigration political rhetoric can influence policymaking and negatively impact the mental and physical well-being of foreign nationals.

Approximately, there are 10 million undocumented immigrants in the United States of America, said Pew Research Center. The majority of these people originate from Asia, Central America, and Mexico. It is assessed that a minimum of 16.7 million people from the US has a minimum of one undocumented immigrant in their home.

According to Attorney General William Barr, in the pursuit of personal ambition and mistaken notions, the supporters of the proposed bill to change the term 'illegal alien' to 'undocumented immigrant' may have been violating the law and illicitly discriminating against the citizens of the US.