The Biden administration reportedly has encouraged its officials to use more welcoming terms when referring to immigrants.
According to an email sent to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials Tuesday, acting Director Tracy Renaud recently signed a memo encouraging "more inclusive language in the agency's outreach efforts, internal documents, and in overall communication with stakeholders, partners, and the general public," per Axios.
One suggested example was using the term "noncitizen" instead of "alien."
Other changes urged included using "undocumented noncitizen" or "undocumented individual" instead of "illegal alien," and "integration or civic integration" instead of "assimilation."
Former President Donald Trump and members of his administration often referred to unauthorized immigrants as "illegal aliens" and described border crossings as an "invasion."
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson had not responded to Axios calls and an email seeking comment.
One former Trump administration official defended the terminology used under the former president.
"By statute, 'alien' literally means a person not a U.S. citizen or national; that is not offensive, and neither is 'assimilation,'" said Robert Law, now director of Regulatory Affairs and Policy for the Center for Immigration Studies.
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