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by mikeash 3089 days ago
People are never illegal. People perform acts which may or may not be illegal. “Illegal immigrant” is a dumb term. We don’t describe speeders as “illegal drivers.”
2 comments

>> We don’t describe speeders as “illegal drivers.”

that's not apples to apples. "illegal driver" would be someone who is breaking the law by the very fact of them driving - ppl with no DLs for example. same with illegal immigrants - they are breaking the law by the very fact of being present in the country they are not permitted to be in.

Illegal refers to the immigration status, not the person.