Bill To Outlaw The Term “Illegal Alien”

The prominent state senator who vigorously fought to restore felon voting rights and later hosted a fundraising event for a convicted fellow lawmaker has introduced legislation to ban the term “illegal alien” because she finds it offensive.

Florida Democratic State Senator Frederica Wilson has authored and submitted a law (SB 2145) that would make it illegal to use the term illegal alien in any state document and would prohibit the term’s use by a state agency or official. If the Florida legislature passes the bill, the law would take effect in July.

Wilson says she personally finds the word alien offensive when applied to individuals because, to her, an alien is someone from “out of space.” The idea to sponsor legislation banning the term came after she tried to pass a separate bill to give the children of illegal aliens in-state tuition at public universities. Outraged speakers at public hearings repeatedly used the term that so offended the senator so she wants it banned.

Evidently, Wilson is not as offended by corrupt lawmakers who cheat taxpayers out of thousands of dollars as she is by the word alien. Just a few months ago, she hosted a fundraising event for a fellow state senator (Gary Siplin) convicted of felony grand theft for having employees work on his 2004 reelection campaign on state time. Prosecutors said his actions amounted to grand larceny from the people of Florida.

Wilson however, dismissed her convicted friend’s months-long lawbreaking fiasco by publicly saying that it differs from “egregious crimes where people are maimed or killed or hurt or suffer as a result of your action.”