Foreign worker, non-status worker, temporary worker, irregular worker, illegal alien, criminal aliens are the names we use to describe the "other". Lou Dobbs longtime host of CNN finance and news programs is a strong proponent of the most dehumanizing of these terms: illegal alien. The Onion has "outed" Luis Miguel Salvador Aguila Dominguez, who for the last 48 years had been living illegally in the United States under the name Lou Dobbs. 

The article illustrates the stereotypes used in discussions of non-status workers: 

"Mr. Dominguez did not come quietly, but in the end he came," said Sam Whitlock of the U.S. Border Patrol, who was injured during the arrest. "He pulled a knife on me, like they will, and swore a bunch in Spanish and spit on us when we finally managed to grab him by the serape and throw him against a wall. But the important thing is that he's now back where he belongs."

"Dobbs" is reported to have collected welfare every month for nearly five decades. He appeared in good health when apprehended, having used Medicaid to obtain numerous health care services over the years, but immigration officials fear he still may have exposed the American population to the many infectious diseases illegal immigrants tend to carry, including both malaria and leprosy. 

When searching the former newscaster's house in Wantage, NJ, Border Patrol agents found several boxes of horded food stamps, a fully-equipped stolen-car chop shop, a 350-deck DVD pirating warehouse, and a garment facility where up to 100 illegal workers put in 85-hour weeks producing knockoff purses, shoes, and other counterfeit clothing.

Gotta love Lou getting skewered by his own stereotypes! Maybe Lou is getting the reasonableness message:

In Canada, organizations like No One is Illegal have worked hard to gain status for irregular or non-status workers. The current Conservative government is not a great help in this regard. Their announcement of a "new " (1950's throwback) book of Canadian history/citizenship suggests that we are all subjects of the Queen and ignores the contribution of immigrants themselves to our country. 

In Toronto, I Vote Toronto has built a coalition to promote more inclusion of permanent residents and immigrants in the democratic process. Bringing new Canadians into the process rather than demonizing them seems like a powerful tactic!

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