Conservative Judge Offers Defense of ‘Alien’ in Immigration Case

Fifth Circuit Judge James C. Ho said the term “alien” shouldn’t be seen as offensive, in a concurrence to an immigration opinion.

In recent years, some Supreme Court justices have used “noncitizen” as a substitute for “alien” to describe “a person who is not a citizen or national of the United States.”

The Biden administration has pushed executive agencies, including the Justice Department, not to use “the terms ‘alien’ or ‘illegal alien’ to describe migrants” outside a previously issued statute or legal document, in a move to “develop welcoming strategies that promote integration, inclusion, and citizenship.”

In an immigration concurrence ...