There's no such thing as an 'illegal immigrant' (visa, illegal immigrants, law)

[All American NYC]

Here is something you probably don't know about illegal immigrants in the United States. There aren't any. Zero. The term, on its face, is willfully misleading. It is not a crime to emigrate to the United States without a visa. The punishment for overstaying a visa, or for having been discovered in the United States without a visa, is not a criminal penalty. It is a civil remedy; an administrative sanction. That's because the executive branch has the primary right to decide who gets to stay here and who doesn't. So the phrase "undocumented immigrant" is not a politically correct, less-than-harsh way of referring to what are commonly called "illegal immigrants." It's much more accurate.

Well I guess there is no such thing as a law breaker in the U.S. Who needs laws?

[Oldglory]

Originally Posted by All American NYC

Well I guess there is no such thing as a law breaker in the U.S. Who needs laws?

I had to laugh at the sign in the link. "I am an American w/o papers"? So all it takes to be a U.S. citizen is to reside here?

Illegal alien is the lawful immigration term for those here without papers. Illegal = a status. Alien = a foreigner. Nothing harsh about it. It's amply descriptive.

[Longford]

Yes, "Illegal Alien" is the term which should be used.