Thread: Teen immigrants want 'illegal' dropped from immigration deba

Teen immigrants want 'illegal' dropped from immigration debate

charlotte.news14.com
By: Pete Kaliner
10/10/2011 07:04 AM

Video @ link

CHARLOTTE -- The 21st annual Latin American Festival in Charlotte featured live music, local business offers, and lots of food. It was also the venue for an effort to change the way people discuss illegal immigration.

Loan Tran, a student activist with the Latin American Coalition's youth group United 4 The Dream, said they're helping a national campaign called "Drop the I-Word."

"The "i word" being the word 'illegals,'" Tran said.

But that's not the only word they're focusing on.

"We're trying to get people to use terms that aren't derogatory," she said. "So 'wetback' and 'alien' - those are derogatory slurs."

Tran said they'd prefer people say "undocumented" or "no papers."

Members of the United 4 The Dream group were asking people to sign a petition, where people promised to drop the offending words from their vocabulary.

It's part of a national campaign launched by ColorLines, a publication of the racial justice think tank - the Applied Research Center.

According to its site, the Drop the I-Word campaign seeks to "eradicate the dehumanizing slur 'illegals' from everyday use and public discourse."

The site states: "The i-word opens the door to racial profiling and violence and prevents truthful, respectful debate on immigration."

But not all festival-goers were eager to sign the petition. Marie Rink said she could not sign something she doesn't believe.

"People coming illegally through the borders, to me, they are felons," she said. "That is wrong. It's a criminal act."

She said the lack of documents is evidence of the illegal act, not a slur.

"The United States is a diverse country, it has many cultures," she said. "I honor and respect that. But there are legal channels, and that's the way people need to come in."

Organizers hope to get 10,000 signatures. So far, they have about 4,300.

http://charlotte.news14.com/content/top ... ion-debate

Its NOT about RACE, Its about OBEYING THE LAW!!

On my part the more they whine the more boldly I am going to use it. Only now I may just start using illegal criminalien.

you are 100 % right Happy2B me
No Amnesty
for the life of me I don't know what part they don't understand?
it could be they can Not read English
well ship the SB Back home
it not only the mexico it all the other country that come Over
& they think they Rule Our country I don't think
No amnesty
It Not about Race that all BS it about Obeying Our law w ehave to Obey by our law so who the hell are you . go back home & see f you get away with this the hell you will . you all would be kill

Originally Posted by nomas

On my part the more they whine the more boldly I am going to use it. Only now I may just start using illegal criminalien.

===========================

And you would be 100% correct.

ANYONE coming into the United States illegally is just that: AN ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIMINAL who not only broke the law to get here but remains in violation of the law as long as they stay here in that illegal capacity.

A six-year old child can fully comprehend this.

If you don't want to be called an illegal, go home to your own country-where you are legal!

I really don't much care what illegals want. I will continue to call them illegal.

Oh for God's sake stop the insanity!!! Illegal is illegal no matter what the cry babies want. Deal ith it!

As long as whites are referred to as "Gringos" I prefer to call people of Hispanic heritage "Hoses" . It may take Hose A , Hose B , and Hose C or collectively just Hoses . I'll quit when they quit .

If you don't want to be called an illegal, go home to your own country-where you are legal!

Or come here legaly. Then you wont be an Illegal Alien you would be a Legal Immigrant.