According to an internal memo obtained by Axios, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reverting to using statutory language and directing its personnel to employ the word “alien.” The move signals President Donald Trump’s intensified approach to illegal immigration and has prompted renewed debate among both supporters and critics.
The memo stipulates that ICE employees must use the term “alien” in all “internal and external communications,” replacing “noncitizenship” with “alienage.”
Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello delivered the policy change on Tuesday, thereby overturning a 2021 directive that had shifted official phrasing away from statutory language.
This development aligns with Trump’s signals of a reinvigorated focus on strict immigration enforcement and anti-DEI measures.
Progressive groups have long regarded the term “alien” as demeaning, whereas conservative immigration absolutists defend its usage by citing its presence in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Shortly after taking office, former President Joe Biden’s administration abandoned the term “alien” in favor of “more inclusive” language. However, Vitello’s memo represents a firm pivot back, reinforcing Trump’s pledge of an “explosive and sweeping crackdown” on illegal immigration. Actions already implemented include the revival of “Remain in Mexico,” the termination of birthright citizenship, declaring a border-related national emergency, and pausing refugee admissions.
In a report by the New York Post, border czar Tom Homan noted that on Tuesday—Trump’s first full day in office—ICE apprehended 308 illegal migrants, including individuals facing murder and child rape charges.
“Immigration officers began arresting illegal migrants who pose threats to ‘public safety,’ of whom there are 700,000 roaming the country,” Homan said Wednesday. “ICE is doing their job,” he added.
Homan has vowed to resume extensive immigration raids, including in sanctuary jurisdictions.
In an earlier interview with the Post, he said, “Even without the help of sanctuary city and state leaders, the feds would still ‘wait ’til they get out of jail, then we’ll go out into the neighborhoods and get them.'”
He also said ICE officers have compiled a “target sheet” listing criminal offenders who face arrest and deportation. “So, they’re out there right now looking for the most serious public safety threats, and throughout the country, we’re putting [ICE] back to work.”
Meanwhile, the new administration is taking steps to secure the southern border against illegal entries.
Homeland Security sources told the Post that border agents are prohibited from releasing illegal migrants into the country, and Fox News reported the deployment of an additional 1,500 active-duty troops to the border.
With ICE reverting to statutory language and intensifying its enforcement efforts, the Trump administration is underscoring its commitment to fulfilling campaign promises through stringent immigration policies.
{Matzav.com}