DHS Defends Use of Term 'Alien' Over Undocumented Immigrant: "Next Thing You Know You'll Be Calling Burglars 'Undocumented Houseguests"

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reaffirmed this week that it will continue to use the term "alien" when referring to noncitizens, citing statutory language and rejecting and mocking alternatives such as "undocumented immigrant."

In a post on X, the agency wrote:

"'Undocumented immigrant' is the immigration equivalent of 'they/them.' DHS has no interest in the left's open borders pronouns. 'Alien' is the technical legal term, and that is what DHS will use. 'Illegal' is the only way to correctly describe lawbreakers. Next thing you know you will be calling burglars 'undocumented houseguests'"

DHS accompanied the caption with a collage of headlines from media outlets which are still using the term "undocumented immigrants".

In January, just a two weeks after Trump was inaugurated, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) circulated a memo directing staff to return to "alien" and "alienage" in both internal and external communications, replacing "noncitizen" and "noncitizenship."

The change reversed the Biden administration's 2021 decision to adopt more inclusive language, replacing words like "alien" with "noncitizen", "undocumented noncitizen" or "undocumented individual" rather than "illegal alien" and "integration or civic integration" instead of "assimilation."

Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello said in January that the shift reflected a return to statutory language while immigration attorneys criticized the decision. "The message that ICE is sending to immigrants and their communities by changing the phrasing is that they are going to treat such persons not as human beings but as criminals," said Hector Díaz, an immigration lawyer quoted by The Latin Times.

By April, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had updated its policy manual to replace "noncitizen" with "alien," undoing Biden-era edits further. The agency noted that the term has long been embedded in U.S. immigration law, dating back to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.

The debate over terminology reflects broader divides in immigration policy. Proponents argue that "alien" is precise and legally grounded. While covering the newest DHS post on X, Fox News stated that federal law contains multiple references to the term, citing the fact that provisions of the U.S. Code, including 8 U.S.C. §§1182, 1227, 1324, and 1325, refer to "inadmissible aliens," "deportable aliens," and "improper entry by an alien."