California is in the midst of a crime spike, COVID-19 lockdowns, the highest gas prices in the country, and record poverty, but Gov. Gavin Newsom has other plans. He recently won his state’s recall election and made it one of his first orders of business to ensure that the word “alien” is not in state code anymore. California has unaffordable home prices and the highest tax rates in the nation but this is where Newsom’s priorities lie.
The bill, AB 1096, ensures that the “derogatory” term ‘alien’ is struck from the state code, adding that we are stronger and more vibrant because of our immigrants communities. Newsom’s office describes the term ‘alien’ as being used to identify individuals who were not born in the United States by the federal government since 1798 and in California since 1937.
“This important legislation removes the word ‘alien,’ which is not only an offensive term for a human being but for far too long has fueled a divisive and hurtful narrative. By changing this term, we are ensuring California’s laws reflect our state’s values,” Newsom said.
Newsom’s office claims that the word ‘alien’ started being used in the 1990s as a political dog whistle to “express bigotry and hatred without using traditionally racist language.” It states that the term was replaced with ‘noncitizen’ in 2015 but that many aspects of California’s law still use the term. Instead of dealing with the issues in the state at hand, Newsom is too preoccupied deciding which term when it comes to foreign-born individuals sounds nicer.
Newsom emphasized that he would sign a series of bills to protect the health and safety of immigrants and ensure their rights, as well as protecting them from hate crime legislation. But removing the word “alien” from California’s state code does nothing but fuel a divisive and hurtful narrative that distracts away from the main issues at hand. It’s clear why California tried to recall Newsom, but it seems he has still failed to understand why there was one in the first place.
The bill will replace the term “alien” with “noncitizen” and “immigrant” throughout state law. This was also mirrored by the Biden Administration back in April when they ordered Customs and Border Protection, along with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, to replace the word “alien” with “noncitizen” or “migrant.”
Mind you, Newsom received millions from the elite, including politicians who don’t even live in California, like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Obama. He even received performances by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and paid out every radio station to air his campaign ads. He did everything he could to remain in office. And now, he’s back to focusing on political pet projects than the real problems at hand.
The term “alien” has been used by the federal government since the “Aliens and Sedition Acts” was passed in 1798, but has only been slammed as a slur over the last decade, especially by Democrats. Sen. Tom Cotton has argued that the term ‘illegal alien’ is used to deal with the crisis on the border in the first place because they are here illegally. He accused Democrats of having a weakness and obsession with political correctness rather than the issue at hand. Liberals will always be stuck on the terminology, words, and dialect, over the course of action. That’s why nothing gets done in a Dem-run office.
