Why don't people seem to know the difference between immigrants & illegal aliens?

Question

I didn't ask what the difference is. I KNOW! I asked why others don't seem to. Immigrants are tested for diseases & have criminal background checks.

Answer 1

It's simple, some come over the border because they can my grandfather went to Ellis Island, had a sponsor and had money and most of all permission from the American government

Answer 2

People sometimes doesn't know whats the difference between the two because the purpose is the same but the way they do it are different or perhaps they have no interest to know the difference perhaps they have no interest in going out of their homeland, or lack of understanding or explanation from those educators or agencies, or language problem because if your a native speaker of your language, how would you know what "illegal aliens or immigrants" means unless they say it on your native tounge. Immigrants are those who wants to stay to a certain place for a long time with legal papers while illegal aliens are those who wants to stay and work there illegally to earn enough or more money to support their family in their home country or just hide there for some reasons.

Answer 3

I think most people DO see the difference. An "immigrant" (without the word illegal in front of it), is a person who has migrated legally. However, an ILLEGAL alien, and an ILLEGAL immigrant are one and the same. There is no difference.

Answer 4

because illegals are immigrants.. they are just illegal immigrants

Immigration is the movement of people from one nation-state to another.

Illegal immigration to the United States refers to the act of moving to or settling in the United States with the intent to remain indefinitely in violation of U.S. immigration and nationality law. Illegality stems from immigrants either entering the United States without authorization from the US Government, or having entered the US with authorization, but violating the terms of entry.

Now what I don't get is why some people don't seem to know the difference between Legal immigration and Illegal immigration

Answer 5

An immigrant is anyone that came from another country to live here. Illegal aliens are the ones of break the law to do it.

Answer 6

"People" do know that. "Some" people don't.

My ancestors were illegal aliens. They immigrated from Prussia and Ireland to the English colony of William Penn. They weren't allowed to, because they weren't Quakers, and they weren't English.
But, their children were second generation immigrants.

Am immigrant is anyone who comes from one country to another.
An illegal alien is anyone who came uninvited.
No one invited my ancestors. But then, besides a few boat loads of early settlers, and 100% of the slaves, not many people were invited.
We didn't start making that an issue until the 1940's. Before that, we didn't care. The US had the policy of "Give us your tired, your hungry, your poor, those yearning to be free . . ."
After 1940, we put laws in place which pretty much made it illegal to come here for all but those within our "quota."

Answer 7

Because the pro illegal immigration side has been using the term illegal immigrants instead of illegal aliens to sound better to the average American.

The newest term is no undocumented immigrant. Sounds like he forgot to get his papers by accident heh.

Answer 8

because people are stupid
for many Americans if you don't speak english
that mean you are an illegal immigrant go figure it out...

Answer 9

Even the illegals know the difference, but its hard to admit to be wrong. That's why you see so many lame attempts to justify it on here.

Answer 10

99% of people know the difference. But the pro-illegals like to make it seem the anti-illegals are ignorant rednecks.