It’s All In the Terminology
Which is correct: undocumented or illegal? We’ve looked at this issue before, but today we sourced an article from the Society of Professional Journalists that examines this exact question. The article is an opinion piece, and the author’s views don’t represent those of the Society—but nevertheless the article is an interesting look at the debate over using undocumented versus illegal (Society of Professional Journalists):
One of the most basic of our constitutional rights is that everyone (including non-citizens) is innocent of any crime until proven guilty in a court of law. That’s guaranteed under the Fifth, Sixth and 14th Amendments of the Constitution, as I learned during four-year post-doctoral studies in appellate law at the California Court of Appeal in San Diego…
…Simply put, only a judge, not a journalist, can say that someone is an illegal.
As of today, according to the article, illegal is the stylistically preferred term:
The AP Stylebook unfortunately says that “illegal immigrant” is preferred over “undocumented worker.”
I’ve heard arguments on both sides from members of our community. If immigrants are here without papers, they’re here illegally so the term is fair; on the other hand, many believe that a person can’t be “illegal,” so the term shouldn’t be used.
What do you think—do you say “illegal” or “undocumented“? Why?
Category: Immigration 101
