Justice Kennedy : News : Supreme Court majority was wise to avoid term ` ` illegal immigrant '' The majority holds that words , rather than actions , are unlawful , he says . He says foreign nationals residing unlawfully in the U.S. are not criminals . Repetition of phrases like ` ` illegal immigrant '' is like a poison that infects people , he says .
Justice Kennedy : Supreme Court majority was wise to avoid term ` ` illegal immigrant '' The majority holds that words , rather than actions , are unlawful , he says . He says foreign nationals residing unlawfully in the U.S. are not criminals . Repetition of phrases like ` ` illegal immigrant '' is like a poison that infects people , he says .