In a descendant comment to this, you wrote: > if we used more compassionate language to refer to these people Which implies a greater interest in the politics

In a descendant comment to this, you wrote: > if we used more compassionate language to refer to these people Which implies a greater interest in the politics of the language vs. semantic precision/grammatical precision. The "illegal" in the phrase "illegal immigrant" refers to their illegal immigration, not to the legality of their person-hood, as your comment would imply. "Undocumented" is an intentional dodge of the legality of the immigration action undertaken by the person (aka their immigration status). The more factual phrase has been made controversial by partisans. And btw, cards on the table, I support an expanded, rational immigration policy that recognizes the critically important role immigrants play in the U.S. economy and, more generally, society. And one that encourages legality and punishes illegality.