You are reading

City Council Axes Terms ‘Alien’ and ‘Illegal Immigrant’ on Official Documents

Council Member Francisco Moya at the virtual city council hearing (Twitter)

May 29, 2020 By Allie Griffin

The City Council voted to axe the terms “alien” and “illegal immigrant” from all official city documents, laws and rules Thursday.

The terms are offensive and discriminatory toward undocumented immigrants, said Elmhurst Council Member Francisco Moya, who introduced the bill in January.

The term to replace the phrases will now be “noncitizen.”

“No human being is illegal,” Moya said. “‘Illegal immigrant’ and ‘alien’ are dehumanizing and divisive and they don’t belong our city’s guiding documents.”

Council Speaker Corey Johnson praised the bill’s 46-4 vote. He said New York City is the first city to end the use of the terms in their official documents.

Four council members voted against the bill, including Glendale Council Member Robert Holden.

“It’s like the speech police is out again,” Holden told the New York Post. “Alien is a term used for someone who is from another area, another land. That’s a term used in Congress and in the government.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com

2 Comments

Click for Comments 
Jasmine Perez

What a crock. If you are here illegally you are an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. Don’t like the term/name? Become a citizen. Very simple.

14
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Twenty people indicted in Queens-based $4.6M vehicle theft ring after three-year probe: DA

Twenty individuals were indicted and variously charged in a wide-ranging scheme to steal cars in Queens, throughout New York City and its suburbs, following a three-year investigation by the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the NYPD, and the New York State Police dubbed “Operation Hellcat,” into the criminal enterprise based in Queens.

Some of the vehicles were stolen from owners’ driveways, some with the keys or key fobs inside. The stolen vehicles were often sold through advertisements on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The defendants are charged in nine separate indictments for a total of 373 counts, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Thursday.