Posted on September 27, 2021

California to Replace the Word ‘Alien’ From Its Laws

Adam Beam, Associated Press, September 24, 2021

California will strike the word “alien” from its state laws, getting rid of what Gov. Gavin Newsom called “an offensive term for a human being” that has “fueled a divisive and hurtful narrative.”

Newsom on Friday signed a law that removes the word from various sections of the California state code. {snip}

But the law Newsom signed on Friday finishes the job by removing the word from all state laws. The word will be replaced with terms like “noncitizen” or “immigrant.”

“By changing this term, we are ensuring California’s laws reflect our state’s values,” Newsom said.

The federal government has used the term “alien” to describe people in the U.S. who are not citizens since at least 1798 with the passage of the “Aliens and Sedition Acts.” But Assemblywoman Luz Rivas, a Democrat from Arleta, said the word “has become weaponized and has been used in place of explicitly racial slurs to dehumanize immigrants.”

{snip}

Newsom also signed laws on Friday that clarify crimes targeting people based on their immigration status are hate crimes and that private detention facilities in California used to detain immigrants must follow local and state public health orders.