Citing the fact that US law makes no mention anywhere of the Obama-era term ‘Undocumented,’ the Trump Administration will use the legal term ‘Illegal Alien’ and/or their country of origin to describe them.
The word “undocumented” is not based in U.S. code, and should not be used to describe someone’s illegal presence in the country.
If an alien is legally present in the U.S., or that alien’s legal status in the U.S. is unknown, unclear, or absent from the public record at the time a press release is being issued, it is appropriate to describe their country of citizenship, such as “Canadian National Convicted of Human Trafficking.” They should be described according to their citizenship, not their city or state of residence. For instance, “a Honduran citizen residing in Toledo” is correct. “Toledo Man” doesn’t accurately describe his residency.
All agencies are directed to follow definitions in 8 U.S. § 1101 to describe status.
