The Irregulars?

Beware: more euphemism

Some of us can remember when progressives started brow-beating anybody who used the term “illegal alien” to describe, well, illegal aliens. Often enough, some breeze blows an idea across the American landscape, trying to change political language in this country, thus political thought. Conservatives rightly resist.

Remember “No person can be illegal”? Tell it to the hundreds of thousands of Americans in prison.

When the Biden administration was in its first months, the new administrators in government told agencies to stop using the term “alien” and “illegal alien” and even “assimilation” when referring to aliens, illegal aliens and assimilation. Memos told the new apparatchiks to use “noncitizen or migrant” or “undocumented” workers. As if repeatedly telling the world that the southern border of the United States was open would somehow be mitigated by changing the words in government memos.

For the record and you-can-look-it-up, this column has been pro-immigrant for years now. But pro-legal immigrant. Those rushing across the border are breaking the nation’s laws. And are thus illegal. And some of us will call it like we see it.

The press says that there is yet another caravan in Mexico, heading to El Norte. This one is nearly 8,000 strong. Right now they are migrants. If they cross the Mexican-U.S. border illegally, they’ll be illegal aliens. And will add to the record-breaking number of illegals who crossed in November.

Fox News reports 242,418 migrant encounters in November, which, we’d add, only counts those encountered. What of those who’ve slipped by? (When December’s numbers come in, that month may have broken the record yet again.)

And how does the administration aim to solve this problem, this crisis? By trying to change definitions.

The secretary of state said something about “irregular migration” the other day in Mexico City. The State Department also used the phrase “unprecedented irregular migration” in announcing the trip. “Irregular” is being used regularly enough.

But all the euphemism in the world doesn’t change the fact that hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are coming into the United States each month. And the government of the United States doesn’t have an answer.

The nation is facing a crisis at the border, and the administration isn’t doing much about it. A Wall Street Journal poll from December found that 64 percent of Americans disapprove of President Biden’s job securing the border. The border must be secure, as is every nation’s right, practiced by nearly every other country in the world. Illegal immigrants already here and contributing to society, especially those brought here as children, should be put on a path to citizenship. Once they stand in line with everybody else.

Those serving, or who have already served, in uniform should be naturalized almost automatically. And then the nation should implement a sound strategy that allows workers to flow toward the jobs just as water flows downhill—but requires aliens to return home to apply for citizenship, and follow the rules like everybody else.

The late, great Charles Krauthammer once said this country’s immigration laws should be like the NFL draft, in which America holds the first million or so draft picks. We should choose who comes, and when, and how. Based on criteria that Americans think can help this country: occupation of the alien, education, goals, need, etc.

But changing “illegal alien” to yet another government euphemism isn’t going to do any of that. It only weakens the language. And thought. How does that solve the crisis at the border?

Or are we allowed to use the word “crisis”?