Is "Illegal Immigrant" Offensive

Is the term “illegal immigrant” offensive? That may just depend on who you ask. Two columns appeared on CNN within the last couple of days, one by Charles Garcia and another by Ruben Navarrette. The first believes “illegal immigrant” is not only a misnomer, but also biased and racially offensive. Navarrette, on the other hand, says the term reflects the reality of the situation, a sad reality that some find hard to accept.

I’m glad that CNN is showcasing these two articles because it includes others in the dialogue and shows that even those who want to see a pathway towards a legal status can disagree. I believe that each man has some good points to bring out, and those who lean more towards Navarrette’s perspective on the term “illegal immigrant,” if not his views about resolving the issue, should stop and read what Garcia has to say because what he has to say about people is often true.

I’ve heard many people compare illegal immigration to murder, as though both actions should be swiftly and harshly punished, lumping in young teenagers, poor families struggling to get by, drug dealers, and child molesters all in one basket. This is both unfair and unrealistic. Crossing the border illegally (or more commonly, overstaying a visa), is not the same as killing another human being or violating a child’s innocence.

Although there may be some illegal activities that are similar in nature to illegal immigration, capital offenses are not. Comparing illegal immigration, which is a civil offense, to murder, a criminal offense, is hyperbolic and dehumanizes people created in the image of God.

Thus, Garcia has some important things to point out, but saying someone is an “undocumented immigrant” instead of an “illegal immigrant” isn’t going to fix the harsh rhetoric and uncompassionate attitudes out there. If anything, it will stoke the fires of those who believe any path to a legal status is a descent into lawlessness.

Navarrette, who supports the DREAM Act and advocates for a solution to the illegal immigration problem that results in the granting of a legal status, believes “illegal” is an accurate description of what has been done (though, he points out, it is not a noun). Those who didn’t go through the right channels in order to live and work in this country have “engaged in unlawful activity.”

He goes on to say,

With the exception of DREAM Act kids involuntarily brought here by their parents, these people did something wrong. Illegal immigrants either overstayed a visa or crossed a border without authorization. That was wrong. Then many of them doubled down on the misdeed by using fake documents to procure employment or not paying income taxes on money earned, even though the federal government has set up an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number that allows illegal immigrants to pay taxes.

That may sound pretty harsh, but the sad truth is no non-citizen has a right to live and work in the U.S. penalty free. To deny the illegality of the action would be to embrace lawlessness. But let’s not use terms like “illegal immigrant” to cast our aspersions on others. We must encourage everyone to be subject to our governing authorities. Lawlessness cannot be condoned, but we shouldn’t confuse the advocacy of a different penalty (like a fine and probationary status) as lawlessness.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

(Rom. 13:1-7, ESV)

Deporting Compassion, the Gospel, and Illegals

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Illegal Immigration & Tragic Results

Illegal immigrants face challenges far beyond merely getting deported. First, although it is easy enough to overstay a visa, many illegal immigrants make a dangerous trek through Latin America to arrive at border after border, facing danger from gangs, drug traffickers, and corrupt police officials. Once inside the borders of the U.S. , things just get complicated. Finding a job, saving money, and acquiring shelter also poses difficulties. For Encarnación Bail Romero, a Guatemalan citizen, she has suffered something much worse than any of that, according to an article from CNN.

Finding a job without a Social Security Number is tough. Many illegal immigrants will purchase a pilfered one or merely make up a number. If no one does any close looking, the only worry is that the number doesn’t belong to anyone or that its owner is dead. Ms. Romero did one of the two and it has cost her dearly.

Certainly people who break the law should be caught and punished. But some punishments are unintended. Such is the case for Ms. Romero. Arrested in a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) back in May of 2007, Ms. Romero was separated from her six month old baby boy. Instead being deported, she was put in jail for identity fraud due to her working under a stolen SSN. Ms. Romero’s siblings cared for the boy until they found a babysitting service offered by a “clergy couple.”

According to the story, the couple, without consent of Ms. Romero, put the child up for adoption. The Moser family was granted custody of the child for a year and then adopted him. A judge ruled in their favor, saying that Ms. Romero had abandoned her child. She claims, however, that because she only understands Spanish, the condition of her son and his pending adoption was never fully explained to her.

Now she is out of jail with her deportation delayed until the courts determine who Carlos belongs to—the Mosers, or Ms. Romero. An earlier court decision sided with Ms. Romero. The Missouri Supreme Court will issue a ruling soon.

Whether the courts side with Ms. Romero or not, this is a painful and tragic side effect of illegal immigration. And it isn’t new. There is really no way of knowing just how many Hispanic children put up for adoption in the U.S. were separated from their parents due to ICE raids and deportations. Thinking from the side of a parent, this is just tragic. Could you imagine losing your son or daughter forever? Both Ms. Romero and the Mosers face that challenge now. If Ms. Romero loses her son, it will be because she illegally became a stranger in a foreign land who fell into the recesses of a complicated immigration system. If the Mosers lose him, it will be because of the same thing.