"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"
God bless Rev. Father Jose Landaverde, his heart is in the right place.
Saturday I received a breathless press release from the outspoken leader of Our Lady of Guadalupe Anglican Catholic church: "Immigrant Community demands an apology from President Obama."
What his 900-word press release lacked in brevity was made up for by the colorful historical narrative that covered events from the Founding Fathers to slavery to the U.S. labor movement and, of course, immigration law reform.
The crux of the matter: a perceived slight – "Members of the immigrant community in Little Village demand from president Obama an apology for calling them "Illegal". No human being is illegal! We are people with dignity and we demand respect."
I’ve written about this very issue in the past, both defending the legal term "illegal alien" and decrying the pejorative term "illegal."
This whole "alien" business is simple: the legal term, in relation to immigration law, simply means "One who is not a citizen or a national of the United States."
A "legal alien" is someone like my uncle Juan who is a legal permanent resident – he’s not a Citizen nor was he born here (a "national"). Not to be confused with someone like his brother Carlos who is a naturalized U.S. Citizen, and therefore no longer an "alien" despite his love of the starry night sky.
Now here’s what gets tricky: the lady who sells corn on the cob slathered in mayonnaise and topped with parmesan cheese on 26th and St. Louis streets in the Little Village neighborhood, she may be here illegally. She may have overstayed her tourist visa or may have entered the country with the intent to work here without proper permits. So what is she?
She’s an "illegal immigrant."
Some would like to couch that to a more politically correct "undocumented worker" but that’s a euphemism. The government’s official term for people who are living and working in the United States without explicit permission from the government are called "illegal aliens." It’s nothing personal.
The tricky part, you ask? For me, here’s where it crosses the line, let’s take Mrs. Corn Vendor in the previous example:
If you were to say she’s "an illegal," that’s where I bust you out for being…I don’t even know how to put it…divisive? Rude? Cold? I’m not sure but not nice, and most importantly – imprecise.
Why?
To say that Mrs. Corn Vendor is an "illegal alien" is to describe her in the context of her immigration status.
However, to say that Mrs. Corn Vendor is "an illegal" is to make an abstraction of her and to dehumanize her.
Same goes with other variations:
To say "Jose is Mexican" is to say that Jose is from Mexico. Maybe he was born there, maybe he moved there from Britain when he was 2, maybe he met his wife there, has lived there for 24 years and is visiting the U.S. today.
To say "Jose is a Mexican" is to make a judgment about Jose based on whatever the imagination conjures up about people who are from Mexico. I cannot think of a single time in my entire life that I have ever heard "…a Mexican" that it wasn’t said in some sort of derogatory way.
Let me give you a different example:
My friend Shanti Shmulevitz is Jewish. I would never say Shanti is "a Jew," because that leaves it open to interpretation… what the heck might that mean? What do you think of when you hear the term "Jew?"
Back to Father Landaverde who – along with many other hardcore pro-illegal-immigrant-rights activists – demands "immediate cessation of raids, deportations, and the E-Verify Program."
That seems like plenty to keep anyone busy, Father. Why throw a grammar lesson onto the pile of demands for a president who has already committed to respecting legal and illegal immigrants enough to take up immigration law reform as soon as this health care business is buttoned up?
Cut the guy some slack, he’s not slurring anyone.
And you aren’t helping your cause.
Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com
Interesting post. You may want to cut the father some slack also. But anyway, I think you're right on the money with the "illegal" thing.
Please follow this link:
http://www.nahj.org/nahjnews/articles/2009/september/immigrationterms.shtml
Posted by: Mexitli | September 22, 2009 at 12:02 AM