Headline term disrespectful

I’m disappointed to see the term “illegals” used by your paper, and in a headline no less (“Bill takes direct aim at illegals, employers,” Jan. 30). Firstly, “illegal” is an adjective, meaning it can describe a noun but is not one itself. Secondly, the United States was founded on the premise that all humans possess certain innate rights, and I fail to see how this principle is compatible with referring to a group of human beings as “illegal.”

Persons aren’t illegal, though their immigration status may be. It may not fit just right, but please don’t use dehumanizing language toward those with the same inalienable rights as yourself. We don’t refer to speeders or murderers or those who are avoiding warrants as “illegals,” even though they, too, are breaking the law.

Lindsey Swingrover

Coeur d’Alene