Whats Correct, Undocumented or Illegal Immigrant

When someone resides in the United States without having filled out the requisite immigration paperwork, that person has immigrated to the United States illegally. So why is it preferable to not use the term illegal immigrant? Good Reasons to Avoid the Term Illegal Immigrant Illegal is uselessly vague. (Youre under arrest. Whats the charge? You did something illegal.)Illegal immigrant is dehumanizing. Murderers, rapists, and child molesters are all legal persons who have committed illegal acts; but an otherwise law-abiding resident who doesnt have immigration paperwork is defined as an illegal person. This disparity should offend everyone on its own merits, but theres also a legal, constitutional problem with defining someone as an illegal person.Its contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment, which affirms that neither the federal government nor state governments may deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. An undocumented immigrant has violated immigration requirements, but is still a legal person under the law, as is anyone under the jurisdiction of the law. The equal protection clause was written to prevent state governments from defining any human being as anything less than a legal person. On the other hand, undocumented immigrant is a very useful phrase. Why? Because it clearly states the offense in question: An undocumented immigrant is someone who resides in a country without proper documentation. The relative legality of this act may vary from country to country, but the nature of the offense (to whatever extent it is an offense) is made clear. Other Terms to Avoid Other terms it is preferable  to avoid using in place of undocumented immigrants: Illegal aliens. A more pejorative form of illegal immigrant. The word alien can be used to refer to a non-naturalized immigrant, but it also arrives with the context of its dictionary definition: unfamiliar and disturbing or distasteful.Undocumented workers. I use this term often to refer specifically to undocumented workers, especially in a labor context, but it is not a synonym for undocumented immigrants. When it is used as such, it is often from people who belong to a school of thought that says that undocumented immigrants should be accepted into this country because they are hardworking. The vast majority are (they have no choice; people who cross borders to make less than minimum wage tend to be), but there are undocumented immigrants who do not fall into this category, such as children, the elderly, and the severely disabled, and they, too, need advocates.Migrant workers. A migrant worker is simply someone who regularly travels in search of short-term or seasonal work. Many m igrant workers are documented (quite a few are natural-born citizens), and many undocumented immigrants are not migrant workers. The migrant workers movement certainly overlaps with the immigrants rights movement, but it is not the same movement.