The Hill
By Lydia Wheeler
October 22, 2015
A bill introduced in the House on Thursday would change how immigrants are referred in federal laws.
Rep.
Joaquín Castro (D-Texas) has introduced the Correcting Hurtful and
Alienating Names in Government Expression Act. The bill would remove the
term "illegal alien" and
replace it with "undocumented foreign national” and keep executive
branch agencies from using “alien” or "illegal alien" in signage and
literature.
"America
is a nation of immigrants, yet our federal government continues to use
terms that dehumanize and ostracize those in our society who happen to
have been born elsewhere,"
Castro said in a release.
"Regardless
of status, immigrants to our nation are first and foremost human
beings. Removing the term 'alien' from our federal laws shows respect to
our shared heritage
and to the hundreds of millions of descendants of immigrants who call
America home."
Congress
has passed similar legislation before to remove offensive language from
federal law, including the 21st Century Language Act, which removed the
term “lunatic,”
and Rosa's Law, which removed the term “mentally retarded."
"Words matter, particularly in the context of an issue as contentious as immigration," Castro said.
"Discontinuing
our use of the term 'alien' will help lessen the prejudice and vitriol
that for too long have poisoned our nation's discussions around
immigration reform,"
he added.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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