Donald Trump Transition officials have confirmed the new administration will reinstate the term “illegal alien.” The term was banned in government use in 2021 by the Biden administration in favor of “undocumented noncitizen.”
WHY IT MATTERS
The Trump administration’s plan to bring back the word “illegal” and stop using “undocumented” matches public sentiment.
In April 2024, we found that 63% percent of Americans disagree that the term “illegal immigrant” is offensive and 54% agree that people who use the term “undocumented person” to describe people in the United States without legal permission tend to prefer open borders.
Click on the image below to read the full report…or read the summary below.
More Say “Illegal Immigrant” is the Better Term
- 50% say the term “illegal immigrant” is better than “undocumented person” to describe foreign-born people in the United States without legal permission. This includes 72% of Republicans, 48% of independents, and 29% of Democrats.
- In addition to the partisan divides, there are differences by race and age. 55% of white voters prefer “illegal immigrant” compared to 46% of Hispanic voters and just 35% of black voters. 59% of Boomer and 54% of Gen X voters prefer “illegal immigrant” compared to 42% of Millennial and 31% of Gen Z voters.
- 62% of New Majority voters prefer the term “illegal immigrant” compared to just 22% of Left Minority voters.
More than 6-in-10 Disagree “Illegal Immigrant” is Offensive
- 63% of Americans disagree the term “illegal immigrant” is offensive when describing a foreign-born person in the United States without legal permission. This includes 79% of Republicans, 67% of independents, and 44% of Democrats.
- 68% of white, 59% of Hispanic, 58% of Millennial, 70% of Gen X, and 67% of Boomer voters disagree “illegal immigrant” is offensive.
- Democrat, black and Gen Z voters are the only groups that agree more than disagree that “illegal immigrant” is offensive.
- 73% of New Majority voters disagree “illegal immigrant” is offensive whereas 51% of Left Minority voters agree.
- 41% of respondents who say “undocumented person” is a better term disagree that “illegal immigrant” is offensive.
“Undocumented” = Open Borders
57% of Americans agree that people who use the term “undocumented person” to refer to foreign-born people in the United States without legal permission tend to prefer open borders. This includes a majority or plurality of all voter groups.