Which term do you use when discussing immigration: "illegal," "undocumented" or "unauthorized"?

[Iloko]

illegal alien

[Papastratosels26]

Illegal.

[NSXD60]

Illegal ET's

[Gründig]

Illegal Alien/Immigrant.

This

[Bobby Martnen]

I almost always say "unauthorized" because I believe it is the most politically neutral, does not obscure the reality of the situation, and neither sounds inhumane nor inaccurate. It implies exactly what it sounds like: the person has not received authorization by the government to enter the country. .

Are drug dealers just "unauthorized pharmacists"? Is theft merely "unauthorized borrowing"?

I use "illegal alien", which is the most accurate term. Although it sounds harsh, it's actually not derogatory - terms like "undocumented immigrant" are actually euphemisms for "illegal alien".

Actually derogatory/offensive words for illegal aliens are things like "wetback", etc...