To: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-2) and Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21)
Congressmen Lamar Smith and Ted Poe: No Human Beings Are "Illegal"
Stop using the term "illegal immigrant." An analysis by the Sunlight Foundation has found that you are the two most frequent users of this offensive term in Congress over the last five years. Please follow the example of the Associated Press and stop using this insulting term - no human beings are "illegal." A behavior is illegal, but a person is not.
Why is this important?
Over the last few years, groups across the country have called for an end to describing the more than 12 million undocumented immigrants that live in America as "illegal." The movement is headlined by efforts of Jose Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who announced in 2011 that he is an undocumented immigrant. Since that time, activists from across the country have pressured elected officials and news organizations to stop using the term "illegal" when describing America's millions of immigrants.
Just recently, the Associated Press has announced they will stop using the term "illegal immigrant" or the term "illegal" when describing a person. They correctly reasoned that a behavior is illegal, but a person is not. The New York Times is also reconsidering using the term.
An analysis by the Sunlight Foundation has found that Congressmen Lamar Smith and Ted Poe employed the term "illegal immigrant" the most over the last five years. Sign the petition and tell them that a behavior is illegal, but a person is not.