Why do you call illegal inmigrants "illegal aliens"?

Question

Maybe you should call Lt. Ripley. Maybe she can solve the problem.

Answer 1

Because illegal aliens has been the term in our laws to describe citizens of a foreign land illegally present in the US since long before science fiction types used it to apply to little green men.

It is a legal, and accurate term.

Answer 2

Because "alien" is the technical term for a person who is a foreigner. The government tends to use that term concerning people coming to America because we tend to get the most immigrants of any country. An American going to live in, say, England would be an alien too. Since the people who are immigrating into Amreica the most these day's aren't doing it legally, they are technically illegal aliens. The public just prefers to use the term immigrants since alien is now the coined popular word for extra-terrestrials (which are also considered foreign...only to the whole Earth instead of just one country). But alien meant immigrant first.

Answer 3

We really don't have to, it's kinda a putdown to call them that because heck who really came from another world anyways. Technically, Columbus arrived to "the new world" so maybe someone else is the alien? But wait up this might be just the thing to call an evil martian or one of those aliens in alien who spit acid in your face 2. It's gonna really suxs fighting aliens from other planets in the future when we've already worn that one out, huh :(?...I know I know, alien could mean the persons from a foreign land yet still on earth but alot of words just alot of Orellian Newspeak jargon these days anyway.

Answer 4

a·li·en (ā'lē-ən, āl'yən) pronunciation
adj.

1. Owing political allegiance to another country or government; foreign: alien residents.
2. Belonging to, characteristic of, or constituting another and very different place, society, or person; strange. See synonyms at foreign.
3. Dissimilar, inconsistent, or opposed, as in nature: emotions alien to her temperament.

n.

1. An unnaturalized foreign resident of a country. Also called noncitizen.
2. A person from another and very different family, people, or place.
3. A person who is not included in a group; an outsider.
4. A creature from outer space: a story about an invasion of aliens.
5. Ecology. An organism, especially a plant or animal, that occurs in or is naturalized in a region to which it is not native.

tr.v. Law., -ened, -en·ing, -ens.

To transfer (property) to another; alienate.

Answer 5

alien=foreign
immigrant=someone who travels INTO an area
emmigrant=someone who moves OUT of a place
migrant=someone who moves around, place to place

Hence:
ANYONE who comes here is an immigrant! This reflects nothing about his/her legal status.
combining words like these can bring us to several true conclusions
1. ALL aliens are immigrants, but not all immigrants are alien (one CAN migrate to the other side of your home state, and you will be an immigrant in that town)
2. you may be an illegal alien and NOT an illegal immigrant! (one's entry may have been legal, and then expired, or that person violated the terms of his/her legal status and thereby became and illegal alien)

So you see, the legality of one's immigration and one's alien status may be two things!
So it is more important here to remember that we are talking about illegal aliens that are already here and illegal immigrants (those that are crossing the borders illegally as we speak!)

Answer 6

By definition alien means: Owing political allegiance to another country or government; foreign:
Belonging to, characteristic of, or constituting another and very different place, society, or person; strange

they aren't reffering to illegal immigrants as extraterestrials but using the official term. For example if you were writing a paper you wouldn't call a black person a black person in the paper you would use the official and respectful name of african american.

Answer 7

Hello. I assume you mean in the USA. Well seems to me that the USA is made of ppl from the entire planet "great American Melting Pot" (BTW to refer to USA citizens as a single race is incorrect). They are/were mostly from Immigrant roots.When someone is called an Illegal Alien, it is to show something undesirable- Immigrants were legally allowed to make USA new home.They were those who passed their application for citizenship. An 'Alien', however is supposed to mean someone not legally allowed to. -They just figure to skip applying for United States citizenship, and suck up whatever benefits they can without having any loyalty to that country. Hence they are "Illegal ALIENS". Because Illegal IMMIGRANT would be insulting to those who made their efforts toward citizenship.

Answer 8

Because, everyone who sneaked into the country is illegal. Illegal mean they committed a crime,by doing so! Alien means they are not of this country,and hold no allegiance (loyalty) to this country! This disloyalty , was demonstrated in the illegals protest marches!

Answer 9

"Alienum" is the original, Latin word from which the word "alien" derives. It means "stranger". My guess would be that illegal immigrants are called illegal aliens because for one, it is shorter, secondly, sounds more scientific, and third, makes a stronger point of somebody belonging elsewhere for the reason of being a "stranger".

Answer 10

we call illegal immigrants "illegal aliens" because 1: illegal means they aren't there under just cause through the law.. and 2: alien means they are foreign and not native... immigrants are people who come from another country and aren't naturally born in the country that they decide to move too... its not offensive or anything, it just implies that they are from a foreign place outside of our country