Quote (Thor123422 @ Jun 2 2020 03:02pm)
Then say "a person who is in the country illegally". Calling them "an illegal" is just like calling somebody "a black". They aren't "a black" they are a black PERSON.
Anecdote
My PI for my masters was talking to the group informally about something. He says "Oh, yeah, I have a trans in my class". I stopped him and said "Dr. S. You really shouldn't say 'a trans' for the same reason you shouldn't say 'a black'. They're a trans person." You know what he did. He nodded, said "oh yeah, that makes sense." No fight, he thought about it for a few seconds and accepted it. These aren't hard concepts people!
Illegal immigrant is not dehumanizing, it is an accurate description. They are an immigrant. They are here illegally.
The only reason to prefer "undocumented" is to distract intentionally from the fact that they are breaking American law. Newspeak indeed.