Why We Should Use the Term Illegalized Immigrant

Introduction The Associated Press (AP) recently announced an important change to its Stylebook: it “no longer sanctions the term ‘illegal immigrant’” (Colford, 2013; Morison, 2013). AP suggested alternative phrases, such as “person entering a country illegally” or “without legal permission” (Morison, 2013). While these phrases may be accurate, they are wordy, prompting AP’s Senior Vice President and Executive Editor, Kathleen Carroll, to project that suitable terminology will evolve “down the road” (Colford, 2013). In this Research Brief, I argue for the adoption of illegalized immigrant to fill the terminology gap.