"Illegal Alien" Is Not A Pejorative

Besides, as a descendant of illegal aliens (Julian and Aleksjondria "Alexandria" Chernetski, and their son Antoni "Anthoy" Chernetski), I have more of a stake in the matter than Geraldo Rivera. Indeed, his dad was Puerto Rican (given U.S. citizenship in 1917, and born when Puerto Rico had been a U.S. territory for 17 years), and his grandmother Tillie Krivel Friedman was a legal immigrant from her Diasporan home of Canada. What does Geraldo have to worry about? Also, while not all illegals are Mexican or otherwise Hispanic (case in point, as my great-great-grandparents were Ashkenazim Anusim), most illegals are Mexican and otherwise Hispanic. Meanwhile, the Irish were not the first illegals. Don't believe me? Search Ancestry.com-- you'll find the New York and other port manifests of plenty of Irelanders, that of my great-great-great-granddad John Thomas Farrell.

Furthermore, Sections 8 and 9 of Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution have always provided for legal immigration:

1. Section 8 - Powers of Congress
   The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excisesshall be uniform throughout the United States;
   To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
   To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
   To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States...
2. The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

In conclusion; as a descendant of Jewish illegal immigrants who has more stake in the illegal immigration issue than the descendant of Puerto Rican Cruz Rivera and legal immigrant Tillie Krivel Friedman, I speak to Geraldo Rivera and to others to say that "illegal" and "illegal alien" are not pejoratives.