AP Stylebook Drops Use of 'Illegal Immigrant'

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The Associated Press Stylebook no longer will use the hot-button term illegal immigrant, the wire service announced this week.

The Huffington Post (which favors undocumented immigrant) reported that The New York Times and Washington Post have yet to decide whether to follow other newspapers nationwide in adopting AP's decision to avoid the term.

The AP Stylebook is widely used by all branches of the news media, so its policy change may have an impact on the national dialogue concerning immigration reform.

It's not likely to affect Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska.) who recently attracted unwanted attention to the GOP in an interview in which he reminisced about his family's ranch hiring wetbacks.  With a blogosphere eager to lambaste whatever term is used in public discussion of immigration reform, don't be surprised if visa-challenged immigrant and specially visiting immigrant enter the lexicon.