Friday, August 1, 2014

Conservatives and Libertarians please stop calling them illegal!!

Over the past few months I have been thinking about how in conservative circles we call immigrants who didn't go through the proper channels to come to the United States, "illegal immigrants" and asked myself "why?"  These people are NOT Illegal! People are not illegal.  The crimes that people do are illegal. Persons themselves are not illegal.  I can totally understand why progressives, immigrants, as well as others see this terminology as offensive.  Conservatives/Libertarians need to try to get out of this bad habit of calling immigrants who came here illegally "illegal immigrants."  So I am making a plea to my fellow bloggers to stop calling immigrants who crossed the border here illegally "illegal immigrants" because it is hurtful to the immigrants as persons to call them illegal.  This has pulled my heartstrings.

20 comments:

Православный физик said...

Illegal does not refer to their status as persons, but rather their status with respect to the law. When I say a person is an illegal immigrant, it means that this particular person broke the law....Undocumented immigrant is a rather ambiguous term because it can refer to those either here legally or illegally. I think it's necessary to be specific with our language, but always with the distinction that we're referring to their actions, and not their person. My two cents anyway :)

Teresa said...

Thank you for your response Joe. I understand what the meaning or the intended meaning. Plus I know illegal immigrant is easy to say, at least easier than immigrant who crossed our border illegally but what is said denotes that the immigrant is illegal, not what the immigrants did wrong.

viburnum said...

So what should we call them? Migratory scofflaws? Trans-border trespassers?
You'll have to forgive me. I don't see any reason to have any more regard for their feelings than they have for our borders, our laws, or our sovereignty.

Finntann said...

Sure thing, "Criminal Aliens", got it, it's a more accurate description anyway.

Woodsterman (Odie) said...

Whether you like it or not, I'm too old to change. They're illegal as far as I'm concerned. I would prefer to make them all legal in their own countries by shipping their A---s back.

Anonymous said...

Teresa, if you came home and there were a couple of people that had broken into your home, were taking your food and whatever else they deemed 'theirs,' you'd call 911, right?

Would you stop and worry about hurting their feelings when the 911 operator asked you to explain what was going on?

When you break a law, you are a lawbreaker - and whether you or I or the left like it or not, coming into a country without respecting their immigration laws is illegal.

Anonymous said...

Do you still feel the same way, Teresa?

Teresa said...

Viburnum,

You call them immigrants who crossed our border illegally. A person cannot be illegal. The act they did is illegal.

Teresa said...

Finntann you are incorrigible. But there is still hope for caring about the person and the reasons they fled their country - unbelievable violence, unlivable conditions.

Teresa said...

Odie,

I guess so, but you could try to change.

Teresa said...

Odie,

I guess so, but you could try to change.

Teresa said...

Anticsrocks,

We need to look at whether the immigrants situations they were experiencing in their own countries was/is just. If not then it needs to be corrected. I believe we should help make their lives better in their own countries. But people are here out of desperation so we need to deal with it.

If I was living under violent,dangerous, unimaginable conditions I don't know whether I'd stay in a place where I feared for my life.

The immigrants as human beings are not illegal. They immigrated here illegally.

viburnum said...

Fleeing conditions you find intolerable may make you a refugee, but it doesn't confer the status of immigrant. And as I recall, the US does not accept 'economic' refugees.

Immigrating to a country is a legal process. Immigrating "illegally" is a contradiction in terms. Whether it's your state or your living room makes little difference. If you're uninvited you are trespassing where you have no legal right to be.

Anonymous said...

But Teresa, think about what you just said, "We need to look at whether the immigrants situations they were experiencing in their own countries was/is just. If not then it needs to be corrected. I believe we should help make their lives better in their own countries."

Really? How do we do that? Do we takeover their countries, occupy them and then force Democratic Republicanism upon them?

How much would it cost us to go around the world and solve everyone else's problems?

You're not thinking this through.

They are illegal aliens.

Alien because they are not from this country.

Illegal because they did not choose to come into our country legally. They decided to flout the rules/laws and jump ahead of all the other LEGAL aliens waiting for years to become citizens.

By accepting the left's argument that it is mean to call them illegal aliens, you are condoning open borders.

Tell me, honestly how long could any country survive if they allowed all citizens of all other countries of the world to just come here and take benefits and/or jobs from the actual citizens of said country?

Teresa said...

Anticsrocks,

"Really? How do we do that? Do we takeover their countries, occupy them and then force Democratic Republicanism upon them?"

Please don't jump the gun there. No need to take a huge leap from helping people in other countries to a takeover of their countries.

For instance the U.S. has been asked to assist in stopping the terrible gangs situation in Mexico for a good while now but if we have helped at all, which I doubt, we have only helped in very small ways.

"Illegal because they did not choose to come into our country legally. They decided to flout the rules/laws and jump ahead of all the other LEGAL aliens waiting for years to become citizens."

But you are describing what action the immigrant did wrongly. You haven't explained how it is logical right or good to call a person illegal when the person themselves as a human being isn't illegal, only the action they took.

I agree that it isn't right for them to jump ahead of immigrants who are trying to, and waiting to come here legally.

Our main problem is securing the border. If we accomplish closing the border then most of the U.S.'s immigration problems will be solved.

Anonymous said...

Teresa,

We spend too much money meddling in the affairs of other countries when we need to take care of our own, first. I'd say we owe that to the citizens of our country, wouldn't you?

"... describing what action the immigrant did wrongly. You haven't explained how it is logical right or good to call a person illegal when the person themselves as a human being isn't illegal, only the action they took."

Indulge me for a moment:

You and your family are sitting at a table, having lunch at your favorite restaurant.

A man comes in waving a gun, demanding money from not only the establishment, but from the patrons, as well.

When he gets to your table, a member of your family doesn't hand over their money fast enough, and the gunman shoots him dead.

What would you call that person?

Would you say that he should be described by what action he did wrongly?

Or would you say that it is wrong to call this person a murderer because it isn't logical right or good to call the person a murderer and a thief when the person themselves as a human being isn't illegal, only the action they took?

What you are doing, Teresa is falling for the language and tactics of the left.

If you steal, you're a thief.

If you kill, you're a murderer.

If you rape, you're a rapist.

If you come into ANY country illegally, you are an alien that is in that country illegally; hence, illegal alien.

You're too smart to fall for the leftist PC dogma.





Anonymous said...

I apologize for the time between my posts. I've been in the hospital for a couple of weeks.

Teresa said...

So sorry you were in the hospital anticsrocks. No need to apologize. Hope you feel better.

Teresa said...

Anticsrocks,

Yes, we do need to focus on our own. I do understand what you are saying from your examples. I actually thought of that prior to my writing. My reason for not calling them illegal immigrants has nothing to do with liberal influence on me but rather due to Catholic Christian influence and much thought on the matter. Every person has a right to be treated with human dignity, while the immigrants have crossed the border illegally they are facing serious injustices in their home countries so I have empathy for them. I'm not saying what the immigrants is right legally but understandable on a human level.

Anonymous said...

Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree, then.

If it waddles like a duck, if it quacks like a duck...

It ain't a chicken.