Indian-origin immigration attorney Rahul Reddy opposed the official use of the word ‘alien’ in American parlance to refer to non-US citizens and said that though the word is legal, it is dehumanizing and White House should not use the word.Reddy said the word in the immigration law refers to any person who is not a US citizen, including a Green Card holder who has been paying taxes for 30 years. But when the White House says “aliens walk among us”, it becomes propaganda as they narrow down the meaning to illegal immigrants.“These are people who followed the rules, stood in the lines, and earned their place. When the government packages that neutral legal term with fear, secrecy, invasion, and danger, the message is unmistakable: people who are here lawfully are being portrayed as something less than human,” Reddy said, asking if Melania Trump, who was born in Slovenia, is also an alien.“Melania Trump was born in Slovenia, immigrated to the United States, and became a naturalized US citizen. President Trump’s first wife, Ivana, was born in Czechoslovakia and also naturalized. His mother was born in Scotland. His grandfather was born in Germany. Immigration is not some distant issue in the President’s life. It is his own family story. If lawful immigrants are outsiders who “do not belong here,” then the President’s own family history is an immigrant story too,” Reddy said.Pointing out the danger that the official use of such word carries, Reddy said America has every right to enforce its immigration law but it can be done without losing humanity.“The real danger of this language is that it does not stay aimed at the undocumented. 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 all get caught in the crossfire. I see it in my practice already: people with valid status, valid work permits, and valid futures in this country are made to feel like intruders by their own government. When the White House demonizes “aliens,” it is law-abiding immigrant families who pay the price,” Reddy said.
