Illegal Alien

Illegal Alien

 The word illegal alien is an alternative term to illegal immigrant. It is a word that expresses negative connotation towards undocumented immigrants (Kleyn, 2011). Its origin is the mass immigration of Europeans into the United States, after the world war. It referred to immigrants from places seen as undesirable such as Italy, Poland, Slovakia, and other parts of eastern and southern Europe thought to be catholic or Jewish.


However, its use currently extends to immigrants from other parts of the world. In fact, its negative includes young people born in the United States to immigrant parents. In negative meaning, the term is synonym to the words poor, Mexican, green card, suffer, innocent, sadness, criminals, hard work, deport, and money hungry (Kivet, P. & Zinn, 1996).


The word illegal alien has negative connotation towards undocumented immigrants (Kleyn, 2011). The word illegal is improper because a person’s legal status is not equivalent to the immigrant as a person. The word alien, on its part, conveys the implication or images of “uncomfortable foreigners”. Those who use it often imply extraterrestrials, intentionally.


Colored words affect communication across borderlines of religion, cultures, and race (Kivet, P. & Zinn, 1996). It alters the moral values intended for diversity. It challenges the value of humanity and the belief that all people are equal. The term reflects the degradation of values love and respect for cultural and religious diversity; the values that guide unity and peace. The term affects both culture and religion because its initial use of the term targeted foreign immigrants related to foreign religions and cultures.


References

Kivet, P. & Zinn, H. “Uprooting Racism”.  Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 1996.
Kleyn, T. “Immigration: The Ultimate Teen Guide”. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2011.




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