The White House under President Biden has begun referring to border crossers and illegal immigrants as "newcomers" and "people in the nation," supporting a Senate plan for catch and release at the US-Mexico border, defying federal immigration law.
The Senate bill's White House fact page says this: "The bill also includes $1.4 billion for cities and states who are providing critical services to newcomers, and would expedite work permits for people who are in the country and qualify. "
In a related news release on the Senate measure earlier this month, the Biden White House highlighted the billions of dollars that the law would provide to states and communities who welcome these so-called "newcomers."
The Biden administration has insisted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) use "more inclusive" terminology like "noncitizens" and "undocumented person" in place of using any allusions to "illegal aliens" or "illegal immigrants."
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas justified these modifications in July 2023: "In the Department of Homeland Security, I issued a memo very early on that we would not use the term ‘illegal alien’ when speaking of these individuals, we use the term ‘noncitizen,’ and that speaks to the importance of respecting the dignity of the individual."
Democrats in Congress have filed legislation in 2021 that would remove all references to the phrases "illegal immigrant" and "alien" from federal law.
The Biden administration has made an effort, however the legal definition of "alien" refers to a foreign national who is living in the United States. The word "any individual not a citizen or national of the United States" is defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which codified it into law.
The Senate bill's White House fact page says this: "The bill also includes $1.4 billion for cities and states who are providing critical services to newcomers, and would expedite work permits for people who are in the country and qualify. "
In a related news release on the Senate measure earlier this month, the Biden White House highlighted the billions of dollars that the law would provide to states and communities who welcome these so-called "newcomers."
The Biden administration has insisted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) use "more inclusive" terminology like "noncitizens" and "undocumented person" in place of using any allusions to "illegal aliens" or "illegal immigrants."
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas justified these modifications in July 2023: "In the Department of Homeland Security, I issued a memo very early on that we would not use the term ‘illegal alien’ when speaking of these individuals, we use the term ‘noncitizen,’ and that speaks to the importance of respecting the dignity of the individual."
Democrats in Congress have filed legislation in 2021 that would remove all references to the phrases "illegal immigrant" and "alien" from federal law.
The Biden administration has made an effort, however the legal definition of "alien" refers to a foreign national who is living in the United States. The word "any individual not a citizen or national of the United States" is defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which codified it into law.
