Later, since I am out and proud, I reluctantly spent time giving Ms. Bazar details about deportation cases that she uses in her article to make a point. I have spoken to dozens of immigration reporters and it doesn’t get more incompetent than what I experienced on the call. But more specifically, I am not even talking about Ms. Bazar's lack of journalistic ethics or the term “illegal immigrant” but “illegal students.” What is “illegal” exactly about being a student in this case? Is a drunk 19 year old college student an “illegal student” as well? Is it supposed to describe anyone who has ever done something illegal and also gone to school? The basic legal premise of “no human being is illegal” is that just like someone cannot be called a criminal before due process of law, someone cannot be called ‘illegal’ without the same procedure. As an example, so many gay bi-national couples live in the shadows of society and are called ‘illegal’ due to their status. But has our judicial system ruled that denying LGBT couples immigration benefits is legal and doesn’t violate equal protection of the law? No. Similarly, most undocumented immigrants haven’t had their day in court but yet they are called “illegal” which is incomprehensible given even murderers and rapists are labeled as “alleged” criminals before their trial. There is no such thing as an “illegal alien” or person — it is the ultimate euphemism. I just received the following on an email: “I’m watching this documentary about Food and animal treatment and this chicken farmer in the middle of nowhere can say UNDOCUMENTED but a reporter from a “newspaper” cant?! SHAME!” DO NOT grant Emily Bazar or USA Today any interviews till they clean up this mess and apologize. The proper words are undocumented and unauthorized in reference to immigrants. Even the Supreme Court gets it nowadays due to the influence of Judge Sotomayor and calls us “undocumented immigrants.” Sign the petition to tell Emily Bazar and USA Today media relations that no student and no human being can be illegal. In the meantime, I am still clueless about what an “illegal student” is. Maybe I need to go back to school for this one. |
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