The Indian-origin immigration lawyer objects to the use of the word “alien” for non-US citizens and questions whether Melania Trump is also a foreigner.
Indian-origin immigration lawyer Rahul Reddy has opposed the official use of the word “alien” in the American language to refer to non-US citizens and said that although the word is legal, it dehumanizes a person and the White House should not use the word.The word in immigration law refers to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen, including a green card holder who has been paying taxes for 30 years, Reidy said. But when the White House says “aliens walk among us,” it turns into propaganda as they narrow the meaning to include illegal immigrants.“These are the people who followed the rules, stood in line, and earned their place. When the government combines this neutral legal term with fear, secrecy, invasion, and danger, the message is clear and unambiguous: The people who are here legally are being portrayed as less than human,” Reddy said, wondering if Melania Trump, who was born in Slovenia, was also an outsider.“Melania Trump was born in Slovenia, immigrated to the United States, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. President Trump’s first wife, Ivana, was born in Czechoslovakia and also obtained citizenship. His mother was born in Scotland. His grandfather was born in Germany. Immigration is not a distant issue in the president’s life. It is his own family story. If legal immigrants are outsiders who ‘don’t belong here,’ the president’s family history is an immigrant story,” Reidy also said.
Pointing out the danger involved in the official use of such a word, Reddy said America had every right to enforce its own immigration law but that it could be done without losing humanity.“The real danger of this language is that it doesn’t target undocumented people, it spreads. It breeds suspicion toward anyone with an accent, a foreign name, an immigrant background, or a foreign-born spouse. Lawful permanent residents, visa holders, students, naturalized citizens, and their American children are all caught in the crossfire. I see it in my practice already: People with valid status, valid work permits, and valid futures in this country feel like outsiders before Their government.
“When the White House demonizes ‘foreigners,’ it is law-abiding immigrant families who pay the price,” Reidy said.
