‘There are certain things you cannot deport an undocumented alien for…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) Former Vice President Joe Biden used the world “aliens” to refer to illegal immigrants during Sunday’s debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders, but quickly backtracked and called them “persons.”
.@JoeBiden refers to an undocumented person as “undocumented alien” during the @CNN #DemocraticDebate pic.twitter.com/SvTBh7TjBU
— Nikola (@niktaylorde) March 16, 2020
“Anyone who shows up to be tested for coronavirus or gets coronavirus and is treated would be held harmless,” Biden said when asked how he would address the roughly 11 million people who are in the country illegally, who might seek treatment as the virus spreads.
“Just like I have argued all along: Any woman who crosses the border or is here and being beaten by her husband, but she’s an undocumented, she cannot be deported because she reports,” Biden continued. “There are certain things you cannot deport an undocumented alien for — an undocumented person for…”
Biden’s attempted walk back was not enough for some on the left, though.
Hey @JoeBiden undocumented immigrants are humans not “aliens.”
— Antonio Arellano (@AntonioArellano) March 16, 2020
Joe Biden, undocumented people are not aliens. Why are you using the terms that Trump and white nationalists use to talk abt immigrants? Treat undocumented immigrants like the humans that they are. #DemDebate
— Cristina Jiménez (@CrisAlexJimenez) March 16, 2020
Democratic critics have argued the words “alien” and “illegal” are dehumanizing, despite the fact that both are legal terms used in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, introduced legislation last year that would force the government to do away with the words “alien” and “illegal alien” and instead use “foreign national” and “undocumented foreign national.”