NYC bans the term 'illegal alien’

topic:	Human Rights
located:	USA
editor:	Yair Oded

Last month, New York City outlawed the usage of the term ‘illegal alien’, when used "with intent to demean, humiliate or harass a person," the NYC Commission on Human Rights said in a statement. An ‘alien’, as referred to by the Department of Homeland Security, is any person who is not a citizen or national of the United States. ‘Illegal alien’ is a term used by the DHS to classify undocumented foreign nationals. With the new law in place in New York City, a person referring to someone as an ‘illegal alien’ in an attempt to discriminate, intimidate, or harass them could incur a fine of up to $250,000.

The law does not only ban the usage of the term illegal alien, but, more broadly, “prohibits discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived ‘alienage and citizenship status,’ and ‘national origin,’ among other categories, by most employers, housing providers, and providers of public accommodations in New York City. The NYC Human Rights Law also prohibits discriminatory harassment and bias-based profiling by law enforcement.”

Since the election of Donald Trump, what was an already tense environment for immigrants in the U.S. became exponentially more terrifying and perilous, as the president’s xenophobic and anti-immigrant sentiments (which he touts in a bid to boost his popularity and secure votes) permeated all levels of government and inspired waves of hatred among growing segments of the American public. Immigrants are now subject to draconian policies that infringe on their liberties and humanity, intensified and more frequent raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and harassment by Americans who yell at them in public to return to their countries of origin and threaten to call immigration authorities on them.

Black, brown, and Hispanic immigrants experience significantly higher rates of abuse, intimidation, and extortion, and are at an increased risk of being subject to arrest and deportation.

“I fear for my safety and I’m constantly checking my surroundings, because I’ve been questioned by random people - where am I from and what am I doing New Hampshire,” said Adriana Romero, an immigrant from Mexico, in a video for CNN. “When I go out to Walmart, Target, even the pharmacy, restaurants with my family and my husband, I bring three or four types of identification,” stated an anonymous Hispanic U.S. citizen.

Although New York City is home to over 3.2 million people born outside the United States, and over 16 percent of its residents are non-citizens, it is not free from abuse, intimidation, and arrests of immigrants. Random verbal attacks on people who don’t speak English or have an accent when they do, extortion by landlords who threaten to call ICE on undocumented tenants, and immigration raids on homes and workplaces continue to take place in New York City.

The new law indicates the commitment of the city to its immigrant residents, and constitutes a significant counter-attack against the president’s hateful agenda. Hopefully, other cities will follow suit, and institute policies that do not only protect immigrants from the clutches of ICE, but also restore and defend their humanity in the eyes of the public.

Call to Action

BAJI engage in extensive advocacy campaigns, organize workshops and events, and strive to bring together African Americans and black immigrants in order to formulate a cohesive community that is well-informed and prepared to fight for its rights.