NYC Say It’s Illegal to Call Someone an ‘Illegal Alien’

New York City declared on Thursday that using the term “illegal alien” in a derogatory way is illegal in certain contexts and punishable by a fine of up to $250,000. 

The city’s Commission on Human Rights issued new legal enforcement guidance stating that “the use of the term ‘illegal alien,’ among others, when used with the intent to demean, humiliate, or harass a person, is illegal under the law.” The guidelines apply to public accommodations, employment, and housing, according to a statement by the commission.

Also outlawed are “harassing and discriminating against someone for their use of another language or their limited English proficiency, and threatening to call ICE on a person based on a discriminatory motive.”

MORE: NYT Columnist: Either Trump Goes to Jail or ‘Thousands of Journalists’ Will End Up in Prison Camps

New York City tweeted the commission’s statement, adding that it is illegal to tell someone to “go back to your country.”

“Hate has no place here,” the city said.

https://twitter.com/nycgov/status/1177310896344969217?s=20

Mayor Bill De Blasio, who earlier this month aborted his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, retweeted the city’s post.

He added: “If you want to come into the ultimate city of immigrants and try to spread hate, you WILL face the consequences.”

If you want to come into the ultimate city of immigrants and try to spread hate, you WILL face the consequences. https://t.co/QWy54wADZ1

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 27, 2019

NYC stands up for illegal immigrants

Conservative commentators slammed the guidelines as an absurd infringement on free speech. The Daily Wire’s Jeremy Frankel tweeted that the policy was clearly unconstitutional.

https://twitter.com/FrankelJeremy/status/1178332886333890565?s=20

New York has challenged a number of the Trump administration’s attempts to restrict immigration. Last week, state and local officials sued to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from arresting undocumented immigrants at courthouses.

“This lawsuit challenges the federal government’s recent unlawful and unconstitutional policy authorizing civil immigration arrests in and around New York State courthouses — a policy that disrupts the effective functioning of our courts, deters victims and witnesses from assisting law enforcement and vindicating their rights, hinders criminal prosecution, and undermines public safety,” the complaint reads.

ICE spokeswoman Rachel Yong Yow told the New York Post in a statement that the agency’s activities at and around courthouses “are consistent with longstanding law enforcement practices nationwide.”

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Andrew Tobin is Pluralist’s Editor-in-chief.

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