NY Times - Illegal Immigration Term is Racist

Lawrence Downs of the New York Times believes the term “illegal immigration” is racially detestable.  He argues that illegal immigrants are NOT really illegal since we are all illegal to some extent.  Mr. Downs puts it this way:

America has a big problem with illegal immigration, but a big part of it stems from the word ?illegal.? It pollutes the debate. It blocks solutions. Used dispassionately and technically, there is nothing wrong with it. Used as an irreducible modifier for a large and largely decent group of people, it is badly damaging. And as a code word for racial and ethnic hatred, it is detestable.

If we are to understand Mr. downs, illegal immigrants coming into this country are not really illegal…they are victims.  Maybe Mr. Downs thinks they are lost or they just made a wrong turn at the border or inadvertently overstayed their visa.  I’m not sure what part of illegal Mr. Down does not understand but let me help him.

Illegal is defined by Dictionary.com as “Prohibited by law.”  Since Mr. Downs does not like the term illegal, let’s use the term prohibited by law for now.  It is prohibited by law to enter the United States criminally.  It is prohibited by law to overstay your visa.  That Mr. Downs is a criminal offense.  That is why illegal immigrants are actually ILLEGAL!

Maybe Mr. Downs is comfortable with people picking and choosing which laws they get to obey but I am not.  Somehow I don’t think Mr. Downs would like it if a criminal entered his house, beat him, and robbed him.  Would that be “illegal” to Mr. Downs?  Mr. Downs tries to put lipstick on a pig and argue to us that it isn’t a pig. 

Liberals like Mr. Downs make me sick.  Their holier than thou attitude is demeaning to the current laws of this land.  It is sad that the Mr. Downs of this world put so little emphasis on legality.