Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reverting to statutory language and instructing employees to use the term "alien," signaling President Donald Trump's renewed crackdown on illegal immigration and sparking debate among advocates and critics alike, according to an internal memo obtained by Axios.
The memo instructs ICE staff to use the term "alien" in all "internal and external communications" and replaces "noncitizenship" with "alienage."
Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello issued the change Tuesday, rolling back a 2021 guideline that had shifted official terminology away from statutory language.
This move comes as Trump signals a return to hard-line immigration and anti-DEI policies.
Liberal immigration advocates have long criticized the use of "alien" as offensive, while conservative immigration absolutists have defended it by pointing to its inclusion in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Shortly after taking office, former President Joe Biden's team abandoned the term "alien" in favor of "more inclusive" language. However, Vitello's memo indicates a decisive shift back, reinforcing Trump's tone of pledging an "explosive and sweeping crackdown" on illegal immigration. Plans already enacted include reinstating "Remain in Mexico," ending birthright citizenship, declaring a national emergency at the border, and halting refugee admissions.
On Tuesday, ICE arrested 308 illegal migrants, some of who had been charged with murder and child rape, during Trump's first full day in office, border czar Tom Homan said, according to the New York Post.
"Immigration officers began arresting illegal migrants who pose threats to 'public safety,' of whom there are 700,000 roaming the country," Homan said Wednesday. "ICE is doing their job," he added.
Homan has vowed to restart immigration raids, including in sanctuary cities.
In an earlier interview with the Post, he said, "Even without the help of sanctuary city and state leaders, the feds would still 'wait 'til they get out of jail, then we'll go out into the neighborhoods and get them.'"
He also said ICE officers have compiled a "target sheet" listing criminal offenders subject to arrest and deportation. "So, they're out there right now looking for the most serious public safety threats, and throughout the country, we're putting [ICE] back to work."
Meanwhile, the new administration is moving to seal off the southern border from illegal crossings.
Border agents are barred from releasing illegal migrants into the country, Homeland Security sources told the Post, and 1,500 more active-duty troops will be deployed to the border, Fox News reported.
The language shift at ICE, combined with an intensified enforcement push, underscores the Trump administration's commitment to honor campaign promises by enacting and enforcing stringent immigration measures.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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