What is the difference between undocumented workers and illegal immigrants

Migration is not a crime. Illegality as a status is only applied to migrants and used to deny them their rights. Words Matter cover ENG. It is vital we remain alert to inbuilt prejudice in the language used to describe ethnic minorities. View this post on Instagram. Words Matter cover FR. Words Matter cover ITA.

Words Matter cover ESP. Words Matter cover EL. A brief review of the U. Nevertheless, the media and political bodies have the power to institutionalize certain terminology, even if it is incorrect. Within this same publication, the UN only uses the terms "undocumented migrants" p. The above recommendations, however, have a limited influence outside the UN and have only been adopted by certain international organizations and NGOs.

Moreover, these recommendations are not strictly respected even in the academic contributions made by members of UN bodies. For example, in an article on the policy responses to irregular migration in Africa and Asia, Ellen Brenan, United Nations Population Division , specifying that the views contained in the article are hers alone and do not reflect necessarily those of the United Nations, mentions in a footnote that the terms used to refer to foreigners residing or working in a third country in contravention of its nationals laws are "undocumented worker", "illegal migrant" or "illegal immigrant".

Nevertheless, in the body text of the article the author only uses the term "illegal migrant" Brenan, The arbitrary use of these terms and the lack of agreement regarding terminological coherence are exemplified in numerous scientific publications in the field of irregular migration.

Very rarely does an author justify the use of one term over another. Usually the terms are used synonymously, although there is a tendency never to use the terms "illegal" and "alien" in the same text with "undocumented" or "without papers". One trend, however, has attracted attention: migrants are always categorized as "illegal" in contexts relating migration to criminality, irregular working practices, and drug dealing e.

Friman, or in contexts relating to migration control and providing assistance to undocumented migrants e. Pantoja, This article argues against the use of "illegal" and "alien" or any combination involving one of these words, firstly because when used to refer to people they are devoid of meaning from a legal and a linguistic perspective, in other words, they are inaccurate. Secondly, the use of these terms is criticized because of their negative social and political connotations.

Thirdly, these words serve as powerful tools for manipulating public opinion because these concepts construct what Charles Stevenson calls "persuasive definitions," where the emotive meaning of the word has the power to displace the descriptive meaning; 2 and in extreme cases, can equate the human right to migration 3 with a criminal act. The main criticism of "illegal" and "alien" is based on the fact that only an act can be illegal whereas a person cannot be "illegal" or "criminal".

Another argument against the use of "illegal immigrant" could be formulated through an examination of the definition of "illegal". According to Webster's Dictionary "illegal" means "contrary to law, unlawful" and similarly the most recent edition of the Merriam Webster Dictionary , defines "illegal" as "not according to or authorized by law; contrary to or forbidden by law. Obviously none of these could be used to refer to a person. The widely adopted usage of "illegal migrant" has somehow been institutionalized by the U.

Since the purpose here is not to analyze the creation of legal terminology in the United States, this section will conclude by illustrating an extreme by pointing to the fact that, strictly speaking, only an immigration judge in the United States can determine "illegality" Flores, Similar remarks could also be made about the term "illegal alien.

The problem with the word "alien" arises when it is combined with "illegal"; the term "illegal alien" could be criticized using the same arguments advanced against the use of "illegal immigrant". Setting aside the linguistic and the legal meanings of "illegal immigrant", the issue of how this term is used to address the larger public remains. The media and political figures, as powerful actors who influence public opinion, create prejudices, and shape uninformed opinions especially in the case of socially sensitive issues , are most likely to use the most negatively charged terms when referring to undocumented migrants or issues related to irregular migration.

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Foreign Policy U. Liberal Politics U. Tom Head. Civil Liberties Expert. Tom Head, Ph. Updated February 16, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Head, Tom.