Wendy McCaw may have a degree in history, but whose version of events did she study? As she and her staff insistently dig heels over their right to use the word “illegal” in reference to a vulnerable population, they lose what dignity and credibility may have remained in them. In 2013 the Associated Press pulled the word from its manual citing the dehumanizing effect of its usage. The word is synonymous with “criminal” and “felonious,” but immigration proceedings are heard in civil courts. McCaw’s contention that this is about accuracy is a deflection, a distraction from her overt efforts to propagate an ideology disdainful of a perceived underclass.
