The Patriot Post® · Leftists Redefine 'Illegal'

Words mean things, which is why the Left is always trying to change those meanings. Marriage, gender, life, rights — you name it and they’ve got a redefinition. One of their favorites is bickering over what to call individuals who have immigrated illegally. For conservatives, the answer is fairly straightforward — they’re illegal immigrants (or aliens), sometimes illegals for short. To the Left, they’re “undocumented.”

Steve Cortes, a supporter of Donald Trump, appeared with Joy Reid on MSNBC Thursday, where he explained Trump’s immigration policy: “Number one, we have to secure our border. Number two, there can be no citizenship for illegals. You cannot reward criminality.” That was not acceptable to Reid, who fired back, “I’m going to stop you right there. You are Hispanic, Steve. Are you comfortable with that term, ‘illegals’? That is a pejorative to a lot of people. Why do you use that term?” Simple. “Because words matter,” Cortes replied. “If you do something that is against the law, it’s illegal. If you go into a store and you shoplift, you’re not an undocumented holder of a good, you’re a thief. If you come to the United States against the immigration laws of the United States, you’re not undocumented, you’re illegal.”

And then there’s Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, who insists, “If you use the term ‘illegal immigrants,’ that is very incendiary to our Hispanic population here in this country.” In fact, he said, “What Donald Trump is saying regarding immigration could not be more incendiary. It’s insulting to me, coming from New Mexico.” Johnson has been working hard to win disenchanted Democrats, so this isn’t surprising. For any conservatives looking Libertarian, his campaign thus far presents some pretty insurmountable problems. Getting emotional in demanding leftist redefinitions is one of them.