New York City has banned the terms “illegal alien” and “illegal” when they’re used with “intent to demean, humiliate or harass a person … in the workplace.”
Doing so would be considered “unlawful discrimination,” according to the New York City Commission on Human Rights.
The 29 pages of new guidelines, which were released Sept. 25, also include prohibitions against discriminatory behavior towards “someone because of their accent, English proficiency, or use of another language” and threatening to call ICE on someone.
"A family of mixed immigration status lives in an apartment unit. The new tenants next door to them repeatedly bang on their door and wave a baseball bat at them while screaming discriminatory comments about their culture and threatening to call ICE," one example states.
Those who violate the law can be fined up to $250,000.
“We take immense pride in our city’s diversity and the immigrant communities that call New York City home,” Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson said in a statement. “This new legal enforcement guidance will help ensure that no New Yorker is discriminated against based on their immigration status or national origin."
No human being is “illegal.” Calling someone an “illegal” or an “illegal alien” to demean them violates New York City’s protections based on immigration status and national origin. Read more: https://t.co/P6MA5MQR0I pic.twitter.com/tsCQcGIvPM
— NYC Human Rights (@NYCCHR) September 26, 2019
Social media users were quick to point out how absurd the new rules are.
No human being is “illegal.” Calling someone an “illegal” or an “illegal alien” to demean them violates New York City’s protections based on immigration status and national origin. Read more: https://t.co/P6MA5MQR0I pic.twitter.com/tsCQcGIvPM
— NYC Human Rights (@NYCCHR) September 26, 2019
No human being is “illegal.” Calling someone an “illegal” or an “illegal alien” to demean them violates New York City’s protections based on immigration status and national origin. Read more: https://t.co/P6MA5MQR0I pic.twitter.com/tsCQcGIvPM
— NYC Human Rights (@NYCCHR) September 26, 2019
— rosebug (@Audrey10Rose) September 29, 2019
Ridiculous ruling. There is nothing hateful about acknowledging that someone here illegally is, in fact, an illegal immigrant. Please get your collective heads out of your butts and start acting like you care for Americans.
— Gary Gentry (@gbgentry27) September 29, 2019
Join the conversation as a VIP Member