U.S. media reports say New York City's Commission on Human Rights declared last week that using the term “illegal alien” violates laws designed to protect employees and tenants from discrimination, and could result in fines of up to 250,000 U.S. dollars.
The restrictions are outlined in a 29-page directive released by City Hall’s Commission on Human Rights.
“‘Alien’ — used in many laws to refer to a ‘noncitizen’ person — is a term that may carry negative connotations and dehumanize immigrants, marking them as ‘other,'” reads the memo. “The use of certain language, including ‘illegal alien’ and ‘illegals,’ with the intent to demean, humiliate, or offend a person or persons, constitutes discrimination.”
The directive goes on to list several examples of acts and comments that would run afoul of the restrictions, including harassing people over their accents or grasp of English, or wielding the threat of a call to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a tool of hate.
The Commission on Human Rights made clear that the directive is, at least in part, a rebuke of federal crackdowns on illegal immigration, according to New York Post.
The directive comes months after Mayor Bill de Blasio vocally opposed coordinated raids by ICE on the city’s immigrant communities.
Meanwhile, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs on September 26 announced a joint $1 million investment with the state to guarantee legal services to immigrants facing imminent deportation.
