Didn’t You Get the Memo? They’re now “New Americans.”
December 07, 2023
New American New Years
Each New Year’s Day since 1978, the Washington Post has published its “What’s In-What’s Out” list for the benefit of fashionable elites obsessed with being properly informed of the newest trends, products, celebrities, cultural “norms,” and politically correct terms. This year it’s quite likely that list will suggest jettisoning the current term “undocumented immigrants” – one that euphemistically replaced “illegal aliens” years ago – in favor of “New Americans.”
“New Americans” is a term that has traditionally and rightfully defined legal immigrants who have responsibly chosen to become full-fledged…and pledged…United States citizens. Yet now that same term is quickly gaining ubiquity in the left’s lexicon as a one-size-fits-all term that erases any reference to legality. By tweaking the language, anyone entering the country illegally, or making dubious asylum claims to gain a foothold is now increasingly known as a “New American,” — which of course dilutes the cherished premise of citizenship and discourages any effort to attain it.
At least the left’s old term — and this is damning with extremely faint praise — included a descriptive adjective, “undocumented.”
The trend is spreading quickly, but changing the language is only a first step. Institutionalizing that change is another tactic and the organization that appears most responsible for both is the Office of New Americans (ONA) State Network. ONA’s stated mission is to “bring together a wide-ranging group of state officials to share best practices in immigrant and refugee integration and act as a critical anchor to help these populations fully integrate into their communities.”
https://www.fairus.org/blog/2023/12/07/didnt-you-get-memo-theyre-now-new-americans
