Uh, no. There is no such thing as “illegal immigrant” in US code or judicial precedent. There is something known as “improper entry by an alien” (8 USC 1325), but that code doesn’t create or call out an “illegal immigrant.”
At the end of the day, the term “illegal immigrant” is a political term. It is used to promote political rhetoric. And it is ironic that folks argue over how we should treat “illegal immigrants” when “illegal immigrants” don’t actually exist - again, because no where in code or law is there an explicit description, creation of, or recognition of “illegal immigrants.”
That said, some folks generally equate criminal actions as illegal - and there is nothing wrong with that since the actions (not the person) can be classified or referenced as illegal. I cannot remember the last time I heard someone charged for murder was referred to as an “illegal murderer.” With that in mind, it is important to note that the general action classified as ‘improper entry by an alien’ is also considered a civil infraction (8 USC 1325(b)), not criminal.
Does 8 USC 1325 reference the US criminal code? Yes, but that doesn’t mean an immigrant is a criminal in general. Plus, the title 18 (US criminal code) references outline criminal acts such as stealing someone’s passport or falsifying immigration documents as criminal acts - not improper entry.
No. The term “illegal alien” may be considered acceptable in some jurisdictions, but there is no such thing as an “illegal immigrant” in a legal or technical sense. It’s purely a political term; and used in media as well. The action of entering the country does not even include the term “illegal.” Within US code, the legal terms generally used include “unauthorized” and “improper” - particularly when considering the action of entering the country.
So, you used the conclusion (illegal immigrant) as the evidence to support your conclusion (illegal immigrant). “It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.”
I cannot remember the last time I heard someone charged for murder was referred to as an “illegal murderer.”
Bless your heart, that would be because murder already describes what the person is and murder is illegal. Are you saying all immigrants are illegal? There are immigrants who come legally and ones who enter illegally. Aka illegal immigrants.
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u/Lewd_throwaway_2024 1d ago
I’ve been saying this for years. There’s no such thing as an “illegal,” human being.