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Fact check: Has the Department of Homeland Security or the White House issued guidance changing federal usage from "alien" or "illegal alien" to "noncitizen" or "undocumented" and when?
Executive Summary
The available records show terminology guidance on immigration has shifted under different administrations, but there is no single, unbroken federal directive that permanently replaced "alien" or "illegal alien" with "noncitizen" or "undocumented" across all agencies and contexts. The Biden administration in 2021 issued guidance directing immigration agencies to use less pejorative language such as "undocumented noncitizen" and "integration" in some contexts [1], while later Republican-led departmental memos and press statements in 2024–2025 restored or reaffirmed the statutory term "alien" for certain DHS communications and enforcement contexts [2] [3].
1. How Washington shifted words and why the dispute matters
Federal terminology on immigration became a visible policy lever during the Biden administration when it instructed agencies to avoid "illegal alien" and similar terms and to adopt terms like "undocumented noncitizen" and "integration," framing the change as part of a broader move toward a more humane policy and public communications approach [1]. That guidance was implemented within ICE and CBP communications guidance and internal memos in 2021, prompting public reporting that agencies would stop using "aliens" in some contexts [4] [5]. Advocates and some communicators argued the change reduced stigma and better reflected legal nuance; critics said it masked enforcement priorities or political preferences. The existence of these 2021 directives is documented in reporting and agency memoranda, establishing that a coordinated Biden-era effort to change terminology occurred [1] [5].
2. The Trump-era and 2024–2025 DHS reaction: statute over semantics
Subsequent memos and statements from the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump-aligned leadership and 2024–2025 communications pushed back, directing staff to use the term "alien", citing the Immigration and Nationality Act’s statutory definition and asserting the need to adhere to Congress’s language for legal precision [2] [6]. A January 2025 ICE memo and a Trump DHS memo specifically directed use of statutory terms and emphasized the INA’s definition of "alien" as any person not a U.S. citizen or national [6] [2]. DHS press releases around February 2025 focused on enforcement and used "alien" in public statements, indicating an administrative preference to align public-facing language with statutory terminology in enforcement contexts [3].
3. Patchwork reality: agency-by-agency, memo-by-memo landscape
The evidence shows a patchwork landscape, not a single executive order or White House-wide proclamation that permanently banned or mandated specific words across the federal government. Some memos and guidance from 2021 instructed ICE and CBP to avoid "illegal alien" [4] [1], while later DHS and ICE memos in 2024–2025 either reinstated statutory language or directed agency staff to align with the INA [6] [2]. A September 2023 DHS memo on enforcement priorities used "noncitizens" and reflected continuity with Mayorkas-era guidance [7], demonstrating that terminology varies by office, document type, and the policy priorities of successive leadership teams.
4. Timeline and dates you can point to with confidence
Key documented moments: the Biden administration directives and related agency memos and reporting in 2021 established a move away from "illegal alien" in internal and external communications [1] [4]. A September 28, 2023 DHS memorandum continued to use "noncitizens" in guidance on enforcement priorities [7]. In early 2024–2025, memos and press statements from Trump-era DHS leadership and an ICE January 21, 2025 memo reasserted or requested the use of "alien" consistent with statutory language [2] [6] [3]. These dated documents show oscillation tied to administration changes, rather than a once-and-for-all renaming of federal terminology.
5. What this leaves out and why context is essential
The administrative documents focus on communications and internal guidance, so they do not, by themselves, change statutory law or how terms are used in judicial or statutory texts; Congress and the INA continue to define legal terms such as "alien." Media reports and agency memos reflect priorities and tone rather than a universal legal redefinition [1] [6]. Stakeholders—advocacy groups, enforcement officials, and political actors—have clear agendas: advocates emphasize dignity and reduced stigma, while enforcement-focused officials emphasize legal precision and statutory fidelity. The patchwork of memos through 2025 underscores that terminology used by federal agencies depends on agency guidance, leadership priorities, and whether the document is internal communications, enforcement guidance, or public press materials [4] [2].