The New York City City Council has passed a bill banning the term “alien” in local laws, rules, and documents.
“New York City just became the first major U.S. city to prohibit the use of the dehumanizing and offensive term ‘alien’ in local laws, rules, and documents,” New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted Thursday. “From now on, the term will be ‘noncitizen.'”
BREAKING: New York City just became the first major U.S. city to prohibit the use of the dehumanizing and offensive term “alien” in local laws, rules, and documents. From now on, the term will be “noncitizen.”
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) May 28, 2020
The bill was passed almost unanimously, lacking the votes of four Republican councilmen and will now head to the desk of Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is expected to sign the bill into law, according to Staten Island Live.
“Words matter,” Queens Councilman Francisco Moya, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said about the decision to refrain from using the term “illegal alien.”
“The language we choose to use has power and consequences,” he said. “It’s time we as a city use our language to acknowledge people as people rather than to dehumanize them and divide us.”
New York City, a sanctuary city, has come under fire recently for several highly publicized murders committed by illegal immigrants, most notably the alleged rape and murder of a 92-year-old grandmother. The alleged perpetrator was released despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer being lodged against him.
The city council also passed legislation approving the establishment of a release commission that would oversee the early release of inmates in jail, including those who are at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
