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“Dreamers” Versus The Labels Used In Government Documents And Judicial Opinions In Department Of Homeland Security V. Regents Of The University Of California, Maritza I. Reyes

Journal Publications

Regretfully, the debate over immigration reform has been fueled and railroaded by rhetoric that is counter-productive, divisive, and dangerous . It is one thingfor people who are not knowledgeable of the law and its history to use the pejorative terms “illegal alien” and “illegal immigrant;” however, it should become unacceptable for government officials and judges to use labels like “illegal alien” and “illegal immigrant.” When placed in the historical and current context of the United States, these terms carry racial animus. They have developed to attach an identity as inferior human beings to a group of people who are not …