CBP and ICE will use words like Noncitizen and Integration instead of Alien and Assimilation

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On Monday, the heads of two US agencies in the Department of Homeland Security have directed their staff to use words like “noncitizen” and “integration” instead of “alien” and “assimilation”. It is part of an effort from the Biden administration to discard immigration terms viewed as dehumanizing. The interim head of CBP (Customs and Border Protection) Troy Miller and head of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Tae Johnson issued separate memos announcing new guidelines directing the use of certain immigration terms in internal and external communications. The memos instruct ICE and CBP employees to use migrant or noncitizen instead of alien. Point to be noted that the latter term is found in US law, where it is used to refer to a wide-ranging group of immigrants, from those without legal permission to be in the country, to green cardholders.

The directives say employees should use terms like undocumented noncitizen, undocumented individual, or migrant, instead of using undocumented alien or illegal alien. The orders were first reported by The Washington Post. They also direct staff to discontinue the use of assimilation, which critics say connotes the outright rejection of immigrants’ culture and heritage. On Monday, the ICE and CBP employees were instructed to refer to the process as integration. The CBP and ICE leaders said that the main objective is to promote inclusive language that reflects the Biden administration’s preferred immigration lexicon. The head of CBP, Miller said, “The agency sets a tone and example for our country and partners across the world. We enforce our nation’s laws while also maintaining the dignity of every individual with whom we interact. The words we use matter and will serve to further confer that dignity to those in our custody”.

The head of ICE, Johnson said, “The agency is an essential steward of a more secure and humane immigration system. The way that we choose to communicate is critical to enforcing our nation’s laws while respecting the humanity and dignity of those individuals with whom we interact”. It is noteworthy that the immigration bill President Biden sent to Congress would remove the term Alien from US laws and replace it with noncitizen. The USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) employees received similar guidance on terminology earlier this year. They have also been asked to help create a new agency mission statement. The ICE is in charge of immigration detention, deportations, and arrests in the interior of the country. The CBP intercepts and detains migrants and asylum-seekers along US borders.