LULAC Urges Congress to Discontinue Use of 'Illegal Alien' Term

June 10, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recently, the decision by the Library of Congress to no longer use the term "illegal alien" was praised as an important step in the right direction in the fight to stop dehumanizing undocumented people. Today, LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes issued the following statement in response to the House of Representatives forcing the Library of Congress to continue using the term "illegal alien":

"Pejorative terms like 'illegal alien' are used for one purpose–to marginalize and dehumanize undocumented people. The term allows undocumented individuals to be easily dismissed as unworthy of attention and respect, which is ultimately reflected in our public policy. This is a very important issue for the undocumented community. Although their action may have been illegal, the person is not illegal, and a much more appropriate designation would be 'undocumented person.' We urge the House of Representatives to support the Library of Congress in its effort to stop using a term that is inaccurate, offends an entire community and negatively impacts good public policy."

###

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.