Howard Dean says, don't call 'em illegal--oops: "When Howard Dean complained recently about Republicans overheating the immigration debate, his top piece of evidence was their use of "outrageous phrases like 'illegal aliens.' " But the chairman of the Democratic National Committee might have turned his anger on his own party, including Sen. Barack Obama, who used the phrase twice in the Democrats' CNN debate last month."
This is actually a very point point. Language used can influence debates and drive policy. Many Democrats don't want to label illegal immigrants as "illegal", because they know many Hispanic activists don't like it, and they fear losing votes. They also claim the term is disparaging towards the immigrants, and supposedly "pollutes" the debate. Some may really believe that. I also suspect though that they realize that the American people are far more willing to sustain tougher measures against illegal immgrants than they might be against undocumented immigrants.
The fact remains, however, that sneaking into this country surreptitiously is in fact illegal. One can be arrested and deported for doing it. That is simply reality. Those wishing to play around with the language have a much harder time doing so when they bump up against reality.
