by guest blogger Uchechi
According to some scholars an alien is one who has been estranged or excluded. If it is a valid statement that we are all equal as human beings then why does the law consider some people more privileged to enjoy some rights than others?
The link below shows information the alien act and the subtle oppressive language imbedded therein:
Considering that the Alien Act of 1798 was written when slavery was still quite legal, the oppressive language is not surprising. However, we talked a little bit about the oppressive rhetoric surrounding immigration policy, especially with the article by Gabriel Thompson that explicitly highlights how "conservatives" have made racism normal. Arguably, our language as a society, regardless of social stratification, has normalized the illegality of "aliens." The article points out how the term "illegal" becomes synonymous and even interchangeable with the word immigrant, thus further entrenching the stigma surrounding immigrants. Interestingly, the oppressive language is targeted at the Latino population more often than other immigrant populations, which I argue makes the term "illegal" synonymous with the word "Mexican."
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