Zoe Lofgren: “This bill picks a fight with the librarians. In the bill, we seek to compel the Library of Congress to use an outdated…”

“This bill picks a fight with the librarians. In the bill, we seek to compel the Library of Congress to use an outdated and dehumanizing term to reference people who aren't citizens of the country. Although the term ``alien'' is used in our statutes, it is outdated and deeply insulting to people born abroad who have worked hard to contribute to our economy and communities. In fact, this fall, the Republican Party in California itself decided not to use the term ``illegal alien'' in its platform. In this bill, the Republicans in the House look like they are doubling down on vilifying immigrant communities. Now, as part of a longstanding, often-used process for reviewing and updating subject headings, the Library of Congress apolitically decided to use the term ``noncitizens'' and ``unauthorized immigration'' instead of the pejorative term ``illegal aliens.'' The Library makes these types of changes all the time. It is one of 90 such modifications proposed en masse by the Library this last March. When a subject heading is changed, references to previous headings are retained so researchers can use them, but mandating the term ``illegal alien,'' which is what Republicans are doing in this appropriations bill, is entirely political. The rider countermands the Library's professional judgment. Now, it is noteworthy that the Library didn't choose the term ``undocumented immigrant'' favored by many because they didn't want to be political. They just wanted to be fair.…”