San Diego County has a population of nearly 3 million people. Triple that
figure for the high end of an estimate of the number who are in this
country illegally. Think about it. Nearly three times the population of San
Diego County; more than 3 percent of the U.S. population.
Because of this region’s proximity to the border with Mexico, many of those
who come to the United States illegally from Latin America pass through San
Diego. Sometimes, as we have seen, their journeys end in death.
What happened last Monday night on a stretch of Interstate 8 between Pine
Valley and Buckman Springs is unthinkable. A Dodge van carrying an
estimated 33 suspected illegal immigrants was going the wrong way with its
lights off. The driver sideswiped two vehicles and then crashed head-on
into a Ford Explorer and a Toyota van, killing himself, four of his
passengers and a New Mexico man who had nothing to do with the immigrants.
Readers fired off angry letters to the newspaper. It’s not new that some
blame the immigration problem on economic conditions in Latin America that
drive people to risk their lives to come to this country illegally. Others
are angry at the U.S. government for its handling of the border problem.
Some are furious with employers whose jobs are a magnet and who have to pay
nothing of the expenses involved in getting a cheap labor pool into this
country. Others are angry because the cost for treating the injuries of the
suspected illegal immigrants is being picked up by San Diego County
residents.
Of course, the rage of many is directed at smugglers who trade in human
traffic, who are so greedy and whose lust for money is so great that they
risk their own lives, the lives of the people they are “helping” and the
lives of people who happen to be on the road when they try to duck Border
Patrol checkpoints.
There are at least three other targets of some readers’ anger. Some blame
the immigrants for their own deaths and injuries, saying the accident
wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t tried to come into this country
illegally. Others are upset with Latino groups that protest immigration
policies on behalf of their brethren.
All of these are weighty issues. However, what I find curious — although
not surprising — is readers who complained because the Union-Tribune
called passengers in the smuggler’s van “undocumented immigrants” rather
than “illegal aliens.”
Those who cross the border without documents are in this country illegally
and that makes them criminals, some readers contend. They shouldn’t be
called immigrants, much less “undocumented immigrants.” They are “illegal
aliens,” some insist. The San Diego Union-Tribune’s terminology to describe
the people in the smuggler’s van is euphemistic, a matter of political
correctness, others claim.
Tuesday, a reader said if he saw the term “undocumented immigrants” rather
than “illegal aliens” one more time, he would cancel delivery of the
Union-Tribune. The next day, the phrase appeared on the front page. I
don’t know whether the reader canceled.
But, those who insist the correct term is “illegal alien” probably would
have been unhappy with accounts in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times
that also did not use the term “illegal alien.” An item on Wednesday’s
front page of The New York Times referring readers to a story inside the
newspaper used the term “suspected illegal immigrants.” The front page of
the Los Angeles Times also said “illegal immigrants.”
At the Union-Tribune, the newspaper’s stylebook says “alien should not be
used to mean migrants, immigrants or others who are not U.S. citizens,
except in direct quotes or in legal language, or where it is clearly not
pejorative. For example, a travel story about passports might include a
reference to resident aliens.”
Union-Tribune style permits the use of the terms “undocumented” or “illegal
immigrants.” Both have been used in connection with this story.
The best advice on usage: “When possible, it is best to use a specific
reference, such as Briton, Honduran, Canadian, Mexican, etc., even `Central
Americans living in the United States illegally.’ ” But that’s not always
possible. The country of origin is not always immediately known; sometimes,
the immigrants are from more than one country, as was the case last Monday.
Why is “illegal alien” considered so pejorative as far as many newspapers
are concerned? The term suggests a being who is less than human. As William
Safire wrote in his “On Language” column in The New York Times in 1991, in
general speech the word alien is now applied “mainly to visitors from other
planets.”
o o o
Gina Lubrano’s column commenting on the media appears Mondays. It is the
policy of The San Diego Union-Tribune to correct all errors. To discuss
accuracy or fairness in the news, please write to Gina Lubrano, readers
representative, Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191, or telephone (619)
293-1525. Send e-mail to:
readers.rep@uniontrib.com.
End-of-Story
