Illegal is not a noun
Lessons of Grammar and Xenophobia from the State of the Union
Exhausting as it may seem, we need to make something clear about immigration: despite the relentless efforts of politicians and the media to suggest otherwise, it is human beings that immigrate into the United States.
Contrary to the rhetoric of congressional members from both sides of the political aisle, immigrants are not a scourge or a plague or a herd of beasts. Plain and simple, immigrants are human beings, actively harmed by the rhetoric of racism and xenophobia, including the language voiced by President Biden in last week’s State of the Union address.
The labels that are placed on immigrants, like “illegal” and “undocumented”, are American inventions. They fail to capture the full picture of who immigrants are and what we contribute in this country every day.
If you look up “illegal” in most dictionaries, there is no entry for the word as a noun. “Illegal” is an adjective. A driver might make an illegal turn. A hacker might distribute an illegal copy of a document.
Americans—like President Biden in the State of the Union—twist our diction for purposes of dehumanization. This derogatory use of “illegal” as a noun is only used for the ethically dubious convenience of xenophobes. It makes it that much easier to engage in discourse when it comes to what this country has wrought for those that have been unwillingly labeled as undocumented.
Americans—like President Biden in the State of the Union—twist our diction for purposes of dehumanization.
It might feel uncomfortable to speak of erasing the human rights of people, to speak of caging, hunting, and excluding them from all means of public life. However, one’s conscience can be assuaged if those are not people being discussed but, instead, “illegals.” Even subconsciously, the word “illegal” creates a distance between the human beings you might know and love and the kinds of people the media likes to pick apart and cure as some sort of existential ailment.
The Shortcomings of Education
One of the very real problems with how we’ve taught about immigration in this country, including how it is established in our teaching standards, is that it contributes to obfuscating the humanity of immigrants. We are stuck with racist and wrong uses of grammar because schools are not preparing students for empathetic conversation about the social forces that place human beings in the United States over time.
Let’s look at the History–Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, as an example of instructional standards from a progressive, blue state, as an example. These standards highlight how immigrants were an important contributor to the construction of the country in the past. Over the 13 years of K-12 schooling immigrants and immigration show up 21 times in the standards, pointing to immigrants primarily as a relic of California and the U.S.’s past, even if they are thriving in schools today (as both students and teachers).
By high school, assuming beleaguered teachers even have time to cover the topic, students might explore the economic role of immigration on U.S. society. For example, 11th grade content standard 11.8.2:
Describe the significance of Mexican immigration and its relationship to the agricultural economy, especially in California.
This might be seen as a useful, contemporary contribution for nuanced dialogue about immigration in the U.S., but we are not as a country, well-suited for dialogue. Our country is mired in vitriolic debate. And when immigrants are data for debate, they cease to be human beings, once again.
The place where immigration might thrive for empathetic understanding and shared moments for collective history could be in English Language Arts classrooms. The role of literature and storytelling are powerful opportunities for transforming the narrative around immigration in this country. This is quite literally why we created La Cuenta in the first place (and why we need your voice)!
In reviewing the California Common Core State Standards English Language Arts & Literacy, there is no reference to immigration. The focus on writing, argumentation, and literacy writ large is wrapped up in its own internal set of debates. As a result, because immigration is seen as a “current event,” it gets lumped into the instructional responsibilities of social science teachers where it subsequently becomes a topic of … history. We are failing to teach meaningfully about immigration anywhere in U.S. schools, leaving students poorly served for meeting this present political and humanitarian crisis. And, at worse, making this society worse when it comes to using adjectives as dehumanizing nouns.
We are failing to teach meaningfully about immigration anywhere in U.S. schools, leaving students poorly served for meeting this present political and humanitarian crisis.
Propina
We have appreciated the smattering of other voices critical of President Biden’s use of the word “illegal” in last week’s speech. Define American’s Jose Antonio Vargas offered a powerful op-ed at CNN.
Likewise,
offers a powerful reflection on the use of “illegal” as well:
We’ll see you next week.