Dictionary.com seacrh term "Illegal Immigrant"
Definition: Noun:
1. a foreigner who has entered or resides in a country unlawfully or without the country's authorization.
2. a foreigner who enters the U.S. without an entry or immigrant visa, especially a person who crosses the border by avoiding inspection or who overstays the period of time allowed as a visitor, tourist, or businessperson.
Merriam-Webster, example of illegal used as a noun:
1. an illegal immigrant - First known use 1939
Legal dictionary, illegal immigrant, noun:
1. illegal immigrant n. an alien (non-citizen) who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa
Therefore it is pretty astounding that journalists and media outlets would deliberately misrepresent what an illegal immigrant/alien is to their readers or viewers, by refusing to use the actual dictionary definitions to refer to those that are in the country illegally, hence being illegal immigrants.
The AP:
The AP Stylebook today is making some changes in how we describe people living in a country illegally.
Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll explains the thinking behind the decision:
The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term “illegal immigrant” or the use of “illegal” to describe a person. Instead, it tells users that “illegal” should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally.
So, earlier they rejected undocumented because it was "not precise?"Why did we make the change?The discussions on this topic have been wide-ranging and include many people from many walks of life. (Earlier, they led us to reject descriptions such as “undocumented,” despite ardent support from some quarters, because it is not precise. A person may have plenty of documents, just not the ones required for legal residence.)
Yet now they are changing their rules and refusing to use the precise, dictionary definition....
Hey AP... here you go... Precise, dictionary definition:
1. definitely or strictly stated, defined, or fixed:
Then for them to attempt to deliberately lie to their readers, and claim that "illegal" should describe only an action, when dictionaries show clearly that it is also used as a noun, makes the AP dishonest. For a media organization to be perceived as deliberate liars and dishonest in their reporting, ruins any an all credibility they might have had left.
Just because the AP and other media outlets don't like a term, doesn't make the term any less accurate.
But refusing to use the correct terminology as defined does make the AP less accurate.