Oooooh … those illegals are sexy!

Indeed. I like a man who knows his way around border crossings.

I don’t know how many times I have to tell my cousin Rudy to stop posing with his hands on his balls.

any chance you can start saying unauthorized in place of illegal?

@ dancecontestwinner: Sure, we could throw that in there in addition to “illegal.” But to stop using “illegal” entirely would lessen the impact of how people who haven’t legally entered the U.S. / have not been granted legal status are typically viewed in this country.

@dijo Alex: you mean in a positive light? not sure what you are saying…me lo repites de otro modo porfa?

@ dancecontestwinner: It depends on what you take “illegal” to connote. I’d assume most people would agree this label creates an image of someone who is less of a person, less worthy or valuable. You could argue this is used to discredit unauthorized immigrants. So to not use this term would be to alter or lessen the stigma these immigrants have foisted upon them. And sometimes, in order to get the full impact of a situation or story item, you have to use words that aren’t soft or palatable.

Besides, if we stopped using terms that were less-than-PC-friendly, we’d probably be left with “and” and “the.”

@ dijo Alex: point taken. alex 1 dcw 0

From a larger perspective (e.g. not a journalistic one) I wonder how this term will evolve over the years, and how we’ll think of it when we look back. I would prefer to be an “early adopter” since language creates thought and thought drives action, roughly anyway, and stop using this term.

Then again I don’t write a blog.

Umm, they are in fact breaking the laws. “Illegal” doesn’t mean someone is less of a person to me, it describes someone who is in the US illegally. Maybe I should start calling burglars unauthorized guests of my house, or rapist unauthorized entrants to my vagina. I understand the idea of the intangible having tangible consequences but not convinced of that the term “illegal” in this sense is making the entire situation worse. Now, if you want to talk about the term “Alien” I think you have a point. And why should we look at people who are crossing the border illegally, because their country can’t afford them a decent life, in a positive light???
Someone whose own country has done nothing to solve the issues that are causing people to seek refuge in the US. I sympathize with their plight but the liberal solution to everything by giving it a new little name should be the last on your solutions to the problem.

@pocachica or pocachoya: no entiendo the faulty logic on this argument.

i think you are proving the point when you liken undocumented workers who are not engaging in illegal activities while in this country to people breaking in and taking your jewelry, tv, flower etc.

the whole point of not referring to someone as “illegal” has nothing to do with whether you consider them less of a person. it has more to do with how this blocks your brain. because you think illegal=criminal (burglar/rapist) it’s harder for you to envision a sensible (read human) solution to this “problem”.

if a burglar came into my house to clean, mow my lawn and give my vadge a check up—for less money—i wouldn’t have much of an issue with it. Especially if she/he was doing it to support his/her family.

ChKlo:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/opinion/28sun4.html

also, sympathize means to be in approving accord, as with a person or cause: to sympathize with a person’s aims.

If I’m not mistaken the cause or aim in this situation is to obtain working rights for undocumented workers in this country, and as far as I can tell you are not all about that. you just feel kinda bad about it.

so what do you call it when police and jails are involved? Why are they getting thrown in jail if it’s not illegal????????

I just call them pollos y ya, gabos love using the I word, it makes them more forbidden, clandestine, and boogey-man like. When have you heard people calling us legal aliens?

evidently, no reading for you.

let me see if I can explain.

people make laws. people follow laws. after a while things change. the old laws are not congruent with the new situation. people break the laws out of necessity (by the way necessity trumps legality every time). people are thrown into jail because of a ridiculous law which criminalizes working and driving and going to school and being a productive member of society. time for the laws to change. people make laws. time for people to change.

so what do i call it? i call it by its name. i call it abuse of power against a disenfranchised population. i also call it the systematic creation of a docile and more “malleable” underclass of workers.

you call it illegal.

@dancecontestwinner : by the nature of the law, entering this country illegally is a crime. that’s why if an illegal alien is found inside the country, they deport them or put them in jail. it’s a crime. granted, it’s not rape or murder. but still a crime.

i know some “unauthorized” people in the U.S. and some are actually from Russia. i totally and completely understand doing what you need to do to support your family. but at no time should you violate a law to do that. it isn’t fair to the millions of legal immigrants who have been fighting and struggling as well.

the fact that there are millions of legal immigrants is proof that it can be done legally.

@dancecontestwinner
The fact that YOU don’t agree with a law in no way means it isn’t one. Whether you agree with it or not isn’t keeping Johnny Illegal out of the slammer. So, call it what you want.

@ that guy @ pocachica: interesting circular arguments. congrats to both of you for completely missing the point.

in the interest of preventing you from having to repeat yourselves yet again consider this: it is absolutely clear that your line of reasoning asserts that something which is currently considered ‘illegal’ takes precedence in this matter, arbitrary and intransigent nature of making laws not withstanding. In other words, in your mind good=legal=good=legal and the converse is true. See, it’s a circle.

por otra parte, si te permites pensar detenidamente al respecto, you may avoid saying thins like “it’s a crime. granted, it’s not rape or murder. but still a crime.” or “the fact that there are millions of legal immigrants is proof that it can be done legally.” or, who knows, you might even purport that it’s about time for cambio; not so much for the world but for you.

so, just to be sure, i understand what the law is right now, that MY disagreeing with it is not keeping anyone out of jail, that undocumented workers can even be Russian (whaaaaaaa?), that most people are ok with the treatment of undocumented workers in the world (see A map) based on a technicality, that a piece of paper is necessary for having rights and that because you have that piece of paper you feel entitled to say things like “Whether you agree with it or not isn’t keeping Johnny Illegal out of the slammer.”—nice.

to all the haters:

NO HUMAN BEING IS ILLEGAL.

People’s actions are illegal, but not them… you start dehumanizing people and its a slippery slope from there…

Dude… wait until somebody asks you for your papers just for looking Latino.. you known, because its not like we have “legal permanent resident” or “citizen” stamped in our foreheads and some of us regardless of status look very brown, indio, “mexican,” mulato, beaner, wetback… (fill in the blank)

Not evenconvicted illegal stock traders (ex. Martha Stewart), illegal campaign donors (ex. George Steinbrenner) or convicted illegal drunk drivers (ex. Paris Hilton) get stamped with the new “yellow star” of illegality… but the lady that cleans your caca remains from the toilets you use, or that pick the fruits and vegetables you eat do get stamped with it? precious…

And talking about the law.. they do break immigration law but the laws that regulate the flow of people have not changed in more than 20 years while the laws that regulate the trade of goods have been changing and affecting how people in the World earn a living. Its simple supply and demand people, don’t be haters…

@pocachica:
Laws are meant to guide, not to live by them. Sometimes laws are oppressive like the Jim Crow laws! And we all remember how bad those were. You’ve probably broken a few laws yourself, probably even for less worthy reasons than those of immigrants. I mean seriously. If you enjoy anal sex, you’ve probably already broken a law!
Now migrants have the option of coming into the states legally, but have you seen the requirements to get a visa lately? It’s expensive, and you need a job, and a house. All of which are the reasons people cross to the states, because they don’t have any of that. So tell me where your argument is valid. This whole idea that, “if I can do it legally, then so can they” is full of it. Situations change. Be aware of that.

An “illegal” by any other name would still smell as sweet and get exploited just as much.

@ BOOZE: OK— maybe I should just shut up and read the rest of the comments, but someone just asked if there was such a thing as LEGAL ALIEN..

Um, yeah cabrones. Before I became a citizen, my green card in all caps described me as one. I LOVE this country.

How about we cut the alien crap as well. If we are going to changing language. I have yet to find my glowing finger. and it would come in handy when i’m fumbling through my purse at night looking for my keys.

We are all ‘illegal’ for jaywalking and insider trading etc. but that’s the point!!!! When you are cited for an offense IN THIS COUNTRY the rule of the law stands, not your perception of the charge. By disavowing what they’ve done (entering illegally etc.) they undermine the very legal system in place that brought them to El Norte.

Vague and comfy approaches to illegal immigration may fly in Mexico (where they have armed guards along their smaller border with Guatemala etc.) but the United States and all of it’s legal citizens can see what this sort of pandering really is: A farce to create ‘illegals’ as victims of our own hypocrisy rather than apply admonishment to the foreign other.

And before my Green Card carrying days, I was undocumented. Thanks mom and dad!

and also a special shout out to Reagan, who made all this possible.

Amnesty, it does an alien good.

@ pocachica: foreign other? mexico? el norte? admonishment? did you forget about the Russians? xenophobia anyone?

I agree, since the mexican government is experiencing serious ethical challenges, being racist and mistreating Guatemalans trying to enter their country to either come to the US or work in Mexico (yes, that does happen) we should do the same. Because if everyone else is being a bigoted moron we can too! Who cares if they are coming here because of that same government?

“By disavowing what they’ve done (entering illegally etc.) they undermine the very legal system in place that brought them to El Norte.” Not sure this is, you know, true. Seems to me that reasons for El Norte’s coming about have to do with many factors but the legal system does not make the top 100. Try genocide, land grabs, and a bunch of very entitled, greedy, scruple-free and pissed off former Europeans who borrowed republican (as in republic, not elephant) principles from the french and you may be onto something.

@nanita:
Amen sister! thank you Reagan… !

@ dancecontestwinner: A woman that works in my building came into the US illegally. She speaks almost no English and doesn’t have a high school diploma. She lives with her family - they are also here illegally. She told me they came here because they wanted to provide a better life for their children. They were all born in Russia.

My wife and I helped her file paperwork for citizenship in September of 2001. But a week later, the attacks on the World Trade Center changed everything. It’s been 6 long years and the rules change every time you turn around. She is finally a citizen but it was a long, ugly jouney. But she did it and I’m proud of her. I was proud of my grandma when she did it back in 1990.

Do the laws need to be changed? ABSOLUTELY! Do we need to vote for those who will make a positive change to those laws? YES!

But until that happens, this is the way it is and it stinks. Those are laws, amongst many other laws that are arguably stupid, that we all have to follow.

I never said I agreed with the logic of immigration laws- but I did abide by those laws.

@ that guy: good for you.

you’re done with the process so you don’t have to care. excellent.

@dancecontestwinner: thanks! love you too!

I’m not a girl, or interested in discussing what to call those who are in the United States illegally, but that photo is immensely hilarious!!

great work!