A person can be an undocumented immigrant, or possibly a visitor overstaying a visa, but nowhere, ever, is it “illegal” to be a person. Continuing to use that term dehumanizes often vulnerable and desperate human beings, typically based on their race/place of origin and economic status while perpetuating and exacerbating racial and socioeconomic divides which already exist far too much everywhere.

Such discriminatory speech is not only vulgar, offensive, and inflammatory, it’s against the rules— and unwelcome.