Our union’s fight for justice isn’t new. The labor of providing care has always been tied to struggles for racial, immigrant, and disability justice. The work we do today rests on labor once carried out by enslaved people, taken from their homeland and dehumanized by both law and language. That history reminds us: the words we use are never neutral. They can erase humanity or affirm it.
That’s why language justice is central to our movement. In disability justice, we’ve learned that words shape how people are seen and treated. As caregivers, many of us support people with disabilities every day, and we know it matters to say people with disabilities—because no one’s identity should be reduced to a condition or status.
The same truth applies to immigrants. When we call a person “illegal,” we strip away their humanity, reducing their entire being to a criminal label. That language doesn’t just justify deportation, it feeds the systems of criminalization, abuse, and fear that target migrant communities. But our values tell a different story: one of love, dignity, and mutual care. They remind us that every person deserves respect, that community means lifting each other up, not tearing each other down. As disability justice teaches us to honor humanity first, immigrant justice calls us to do the same, to stand firm in the truth that no human being is illegal.
When we reduce people to a status, we erase their humanity, their families, and their belonging. But when we choose words that protect dignity, we honor one another and strengthen our power as a union.
California: A Home for Many
California doesn’t just run on immigrant ingenuity—it is an immigrant community. In 2023, 27% of Californians were foreign-born—over 10.6 million people. Nearly one-third of working-age adults were born abroad, and 45% of children had at least one immigrant parent (PPIC).
These are not strangers. They’re our neighbors, our friends, and our coworkers. Many have built their lives here over decades, raising families, attending our schools and churches, and giving back to the communities we share. They’re an essential part of our workforce and help our economy thrive every day.
Why It Matters Now
Politicians weaponize the word “illegal” to dehumanize immigrants and divide working people. They use it to justify cuts to public programs, raids in our neighborhoods, and rollbacks of rights. Words like “illegal” aren’t just insults—they are the foundation for harmful policies.
It’s part of a bigger pattern: calling public programs “welfare” to justify cuts, calling workers “unskilled” to justify low wages, calling our neighbors “illegal” to justify deportation. It’s the same strategy of erasure and devaluation—and we must push back.
Language That Dignifies
We choose to speak in ways that honor shared humanity, using terms like:
- Undocumented person
- Immigrant worker
- Community member
Whether someone is an immigrant with documents or an undocumented neighbor, no one should be reduced to the label “illegal.” An immigrant is a person who has come to live in a new country. An undocumented person may lack papers but still belongs fully to our communities. Neither word should ever be confused with “illegal,” because humanity can never be illegal.
As UDW members, we are called to see that humanity in one another. When you hear someone say “illegal,” you can gently respond: “No human is illegal.” We all deserve recognition. We all deserve safety. We all deserve to live free from fear.
And we can take action together: join your member-led local council to help build a union that fights for all working people. Find your council and get involved here: UDW Local Councils.