• In Federal law, the term for someone who entered the U.S. illegally, or stayed illegally, is “illegal alien“.
• “Illegal alien” long ago became “illegal immigrant” in pop culture and language.
• “Illegal immigrant” then gave way to “undocumented immigrant“
• “Undocumented immigrant” was then changed to “undocumented migrant“
• In recent years, the media replaced this with just “migrant” blurring the distinction between legal immigration and illegal immigration. All are lumped together.
• A Newsweek reporter is now using the term “unauthorized citizen” (see below). Will this become the new terminology? Some communities allow non-citizens to vote in local elections, such as for school boards and parks and some governments provide taxpayer funded financial aid (for housing, health care and K-12 and university education) and legal support to contest detainment for being in the country illegally. In my state, Oregon an undocumented migrant can get a driver’s license, receive Medicaid and other government services. These activities and actions seem to be leaning towards “unauthorized citizen“.
• The vocabulary evolves because someone chose to evolve it. Often, this occurs due to media propaganda programs – and did not arise from a “grass roots” response of the people. Instead, the language is altered as part of an influence/propaganda effort, and this is often done by public relations consultants and media operatives. Read the following to learn how the Guardian invented new terminology to be used with “climate change”: Climate communications and Journalism’ish: Crisis, Emergency, Deniers and the language of propaganda in The Guardian – Social Panic. More here.

On my Travel blog I have written many posts about the importance and role of legal immigration for all countries.

The above comments are in regards to how changing the language itself is a form of propaganda messaging to persuade a group of people (the target of the messaging) to adopt someone else’s agenda.