Thread: We Need to Defend Our Borders; Evidently Our Language Too

We Need to Defend Our Borders; Evidently Our Language Too



January 25, 2024


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FAIR Staff




Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick once observed that, “The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words.”

He didn’t live long enough to witness the semantic erosion, nor the deliberate attempt to distort the connotations of all words associated with immigration. Nonetheless, it’s been a devious tactic of the mass immigration lobby to influence public opinion, evident to anyone following the debate.

The first casualty of this war on rational limits on immigration and the English language, of course, was “illegal alien” – a term well defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1101 that was replaced by the advocacy network, and the complicit media, with “undocumented immigrant” which is on two accounts a misnomer. “Undocumented” dismisses any required legal status. “Immigrant” is also inaccurate because that implies someone was legally admitted in the country, which is not the case when sneaking under the fence at 3:00 am in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Moreover, the term was, and still is, offensive to immigrants coming to America using the proper channels. “Undocumented workers” was another variation, similarly inaccurate given that Title 8 U.S.C. § 1324a(a)(1)(A) “makes it unlawful for any person or other entity to hire, recruit, or refer for a fee, for employment in the United States an alien knowing the alien is an unauthorized alien.”

10 million or so people have illegally crossed our unsecured borders since this administration came into office, including 317 individuals on the Terror Watch List. No worries though because this is now known as “irregular” immigration – irregular like that discounted pair of pants you may have bought which is sort of okay because it had a barely noticeable defect, but was a lot cheaper.

This term has been promoted by the European Union, NATO, and the U.S. State Department in recent months. It’s “catchy” and MSNBC, NBC, ABC, the Washington Post, and the New York Times really like it.

“New Americans” is a term which has traditionally and rightfully defined legal immigrants who have chosen to become full-fledged…and pledged…United States citizens.

Yet now that same term is quickly gaining ubiquity in the modern lexicon as a one-size-fits-all term that erases any reference to legality. By tweaking the language, anyone entering the country illegally, or making dubious asylum claims to gain a foothold, is now labeled a “New American,” — which of course dilutes the cherished premise of citizenship and discourages any effort to attain it.

Which brings us to Representatives María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Hillary Scholten, (D-Mich.) who this week have been trying to revive interest in “bipartisan” legislation introduced in May of 2023 that they claim solves America’s border crisis. The Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act — a linguistically tortured, ridiculously elongated title, otherwise referred to as the DIGNIDAD Act, which has been further molded into the more marketable (and English title) of “The Dignity Act.” Whew!

Despite its feel-good name, the bill is nothing more than another duplicitous attempt to enact massive amnesty while offering sugar-coated promises of enforcement.

Not surprisingly, it enjoys the support of the usual alliance of cheap-labor, mass immigration allies including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Agricultural Workforce Coalition, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the Big Tech-funded Forward U.S.

No doubt Reps. Salazar and Scholten — and many of their open-border brethren — are aware that immigration is now the top issue for voters, yet they’re either clueless, or obstinately refuse to acknowledge what that implies:

After years of being lied to, Americans are savvy to the wordsmithing subterfuge; they’re tired of fancy phrases and empty promises and they understand amnesty simply exacerbates our illegal immigration crisis. They want honesty, action, and clarity.

So, since we’re living in an era of language fluidity where the ideologues relentlessly weaken words to shape political agenda, here’s an unambiguous, unassailable, workable phrase that cuts to the core of what’s needed to stop the border crisis – a crystal-clear reference to an essential concept that must never be manipulated:


Enforce America’s existing laws.


https://www.fairus.org/blog/2024/01/...r-language-too