The politics of language: Exploring the DREAMers as the “alien other” in the narratives of immigration

Abstract

Recently, the Biden administration banned federal agencies from using the phrase “illegal alien,” replacing it with a less dehumanizing expression (e.g., noncitizen, undocumented immigrant, etc.). This article delves into the origins of the alien reference by surveying the case of the DREAMers—a small subset of immigrants brought to the United States as children. Designated as aliens in the broader immigration context, the DREAMers epitomize a problematic narrative depicting the overall “otherness” as deep-seated in America. I impose Agamben‘s image of the homo sacer onto the conceptualization of otherness to frame the DREAMers as alienated (exempted from the limits of the political state), waiting to enter society through formal legislation. Critically examining the narratives of policy makers in Congress, I study how political elites use language to reinforce existing power structures. In the two-decade attempt of Congress to resolve the DREAMers‘ marginalized status, they are infantilized and, hence, stigmatized anew. Related Articles. Duman, Yoav H. 2014. “Reducing the Fog? Immigrant Regularization and the State.” Politics & Policy 42(2): 187–220. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12065. Garrett, Terence M. 2020. “The Security Apparatus, Federal Magistrate Courts, and Detention Centers as Simulacra: The Effects of Trump‘s Zero Tolerance Policy on Migrants and Refugees in the Rio Grande Valley.” Politics & Policy 48(2): 372–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12348. Garrett, Terence M., and Arthur J. Sementelli. 2022. “COVID-19, Asylum Seekers, and Migrants on the Mexico–U.S. Border: Creating States of Exception.” Politics & Policy 51(3): 872–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12484.