Illegal immigrants and racists: a PC question

[Trollzyn the Infinite]

I have been told that what I consider Political Correctness should be considered Personal Courtesy, and I can see some validity to the concept. I do wish to examine it a bit fuller, however.

The PC crowd, by whether Political Correctness or Personal Courtesy, claims that we should not use the term Illegal Immigrant,

Lemme just stop ya there:

No.

[US-SSR]

No one is "illegal." Calling undocumented migrants "illegal" demeans them as a class and distorts the issue, making them the problem instead of the system -- including pull factors like, oh, let's say golf courses owned by Queens real estate developers that don't check too deeply into the immigration backgorunds of the people they employ for starvation wages and suchlike.

Further, not all undocumented migrants have broken the law. For example, it is legal to cross the US border at any point, including between authorized crossing points, in order to lodge a claim for asylum.

On the other hand, I know of no one outside the Twitterverse perhaps who calls the Republican Party racist. Trump is patently racist. Anyone in either party who minimizes or fails to acknowledge that fact must be strongly suspected of approving of Trump's racism and probably racism in general.

So, false equivalency, QED.

[Elwher]

No one is "illegal." Calling undocumented migrants "illegal" demeans them as a class and distorts the issue, making them the problem instead of the system -- including pull factors like, oh, let's say golf courses owned by Queens real estate developers that don't check too deeply into the immigration backgorunds of the people they employ for starvation wages and suchlike.

Further, not all undocumented migrants have broken the law. For example, it is legal to cross the US border at any point, including between authorized crossing points, in order to lodge a claim for asylum.

On the other hand, I know of no one outside the Twitterverse perhaps who calls the Republican Party racist. Trump is patently racist. Anyone in either party who minimizes or fails to acknowledge that fact must be strongly suspected of approving of Trump's racism and probably racism in general.

So, false equivalency, QED.

8 U.S. Code § 1325. Improper entry by alien,
(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.

That is an idea often mistakenly put forth due the the fact that someone guilty of violation of the above statute can enter a claim for asylum upon arrest. It is not, however, an affirmative defense and the penalties described can still be applied upon conviction.

As to your last paragraph, I might agree if you consider the New York Times part of the Twitterverse. Numerous columnists, Charles Blow in the lead, have insisted that the entire party is racist due to the fact that they have not risen up and deposed the leader. I strongly suspect that other left leaning news outlets have made the same claim, but as I do not read them as regularly I cannot say for certain.

[Rojava Free State]

No one is "illegal." Calling undocumented migrants "illegal" demeans them as a class and distorts the issue, making them the problem instead of the system -- including pull factors like, oh, let's say golf courses owned by Queens real estate developers that don't check too deeply into the immigration backgorunds of the people they employ for starvation wages and suchlike.

Except no one is saying it's illegal for these people to exist. Their immigration was illegal (except in the case of asylum seekers). They are therefore illegal immigrants. They immigrated illegally. It's like if I'm driving without a license, the police pull me over and arrest me for being "an illegal driver" and my rhetort in a court of law is "no one is illegal." You can't counter facts with feel good slogans

[Rio Cana]

No one is "illegal." Calling undocumented migrants "illegal" demeans them as a class and distorts the issue, making them the problem instead of the system -- including pull factors like, oh, let's say golf courses owned by Queens real estate developers that don't check too deeply into the immigration backgorunds of the people they employ for starvation wages and suchlike.

Except no one is saying it's illegal for these people to exist. Their immigration was illegal (except in the case of asylum seekers). They are therefore illegal immigrants. They immigrated illegally. It's like if I'm driving without a license, the police pull me over and arrest me for being "an illegal driver" and my rhetort in a court of law is "no one is illegal." You can't counter facts with feel good slogans

They do not even have to mention ïllegal driver". Since you do not have a drivers license, they can just say that you have not been authorized by your states department of Transportation to drive a car.

If some do not quite like the term "illegal immigrantes"" "how about "border jumpers".
This is the definition - https://www.urbandictionary.com/define. ... %20jumpers