Bill would mandate nicer term for illegals

[Midnight Mike]

Bill would mandate nicer term for illegals
February 27, 2007

TALLAHASSEE -- A state legislator whose district is home to thousands of Caribbean immigrants wants to ban the term "illegal alien" from the state's official documents.
"I personally find the word 'alien' offensive when applied to individuals, especially to children," said Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami. "An alien to me is someone from out of space."

She has introduced a bill providing that: "A state agency or official may not use the term 'illegal alien' in an official document of the state." There would be no penalty for using the words.

In Miami-Dade County, Wilson said, "we don't say 'alien,' we say 'immigrant.'"

She said she encountered the situation when trying to pass a bill allowing children of foreigners to get in-state tuition at colleges and universities. Wilson, who directs a dropout prevention and education program in Miami, said she politely asks witnesses at public hearings on such issues not to use the term.

"There are students in our schools whose parents are trying to become citizens and we shouldn't label them," she said. "They are immigrants, through no fault of their own, not aliens."

Wilson said the first word isn't as bad as the second.

"'Illegal,' I can live with, but I like 'undocumented' better," she said.

Asked if her bill (SB 2154) might run afoul of Gov. Charlie Crist's "plain speaking" mandate for government agencies, Wilson said, "I think getting rid of 'alien' would be plain speaking."

[T-Bird76]

"An alien to me is someone from out of space."

Well after that statement came out of his mouth he lost what little credit he had. Alien means foreign, hence illegal foreigners i.e. Alien.

[Matt Molnar]

What.
A.
Moron.

I suppose we should pay to replace all the "Resident Alien" (Green) cards with "Documented Immigrant" cards. :roll:

[cancidas]

gotham, another good way to waste taxpayer's money.

[nwafan20]

Wow, what a waste of time!

Alien:

Residing under a government or in a country other than that of one's birth without having or obtaining the status of citizenship there.

Not from outer space... :roll:

[Mateo]

I suppose we should pay to replace all the "Resident Alien" (Green) cards with "Documented Immigrant" cards. :roll:

When the Green Card with the optical memory stripe on the back was introduced in 1997, the title at the top was changed from "Resident Alien" to "Permanent Resident Card." Of course, the "Green Card" hasn't been green since sometime in the mid-50s! (the current ones are white - for 20 years before the current series, they were pink)

That being said, ugggghhhhhhh. Do they really have nothing better to do?