The difference between calling someone an alien versus an immigrant and the harm it causes

Hello, this isn't a very fun or lighthearted post, but it's something I have wanted to write about for a long time. I have noticed a big pattern where in the past few years, conservatives have shifted from calling people illegal immigrants to illegal aliens. With the current ICE raids and the danger immigrants are currently facing, I believe this is something important that needs to be pointed out.

While "alien" is technically a correct term for an immigrant because it just means that the person is not from that place, it dehumanizes immigrants and it's a tactic people use to make you think of immigrants (specifically Hispanic immigrants) as sub-human. It's not a coincidence that the people in conservative media pushing for more deportations are suddenly using this term. Using the term "alien" instead of "immigrant" is meant to make you believe that immigrants are a threat invading and ruining the country instead of just other people coming from other countries.

When a politician wants to persuade you, their word choice is never accidental. For example, when the Nazi party made anti-sematic speeches, they referred to Jewish people as Jews instead of just Jewish people. "The moment when Jews were granted the rights of citizens in European nations..." - Hitler, 1922 "The Jewish Question" (translated). When speaking negatively about Jewish people, he uses a term that makes them sound like non-humans. This, also, is not a coincidence.

Dehumanizing a minority group is the first step to making you lose empathy for them while they get picked off. Don't lose that empathy.