# Not all brown people are illegal immigrants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 4, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479 "2011-08-04T17:22:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/21 "2011-08-04T22:23:21Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Doesn’t “Chicano” mean Mexican? I could see why a Puerto Rican, Cuban or Dominican wouldn’t want to be called that. Sorry, I confused the issue by even mentioning _chicano_ at all. Yes, that’s for someone of Mexican heritage. To clarify - on the East Coast, ‘‘Hispanic’’ seems to be offensive. A lot of the population out here is from the Caribbean so I’m not sure, given **Diosa** ’s explanation, why ‘‘Hispanic’’ is such a no-no. But it certainly didn’t go over well at that training seminar. My overall point was just to agree with **Manda Jo** that it really is regional, but I think Latino is universally safe. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/22 "2011-08-04T22:29:55Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > I got mod-slapped in [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=618901), told to take it to the pit. > > In short the OP in the thread above used Hispanic as a stand-in for illegal immigrant. Giving it the best possible reading, one could say that the word “Hispanic” was used to refer to the girl’s origin and not her race or ethnicity. For example, what if the poster had said that her ex husband’s Eastern European girlfriend was working illegally with her papers? Everyone would understand that “Eastern European” was being used to indicate that the girl in question was a foreign national. Or if the poster had said that her ex husband’s Chinese girlfriend was working illegally? It’s the same thing; the reasonable understanding is that the girl was a Chinese national. Even though many native-born Americans might refer to themselves as “Chinese” in the appropriate context. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/23 "2011-08-04T22:48:21Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > Giving it the best possible reading, one could say that the word “Hispanic” was used to refer to the girl’s origin and not her race or ethnicity. > > For example, what if the poster had said that her ex husband’s Eastern European girlfriend was working illegally with her papers? Everyone would understand that “Eastern European” was being used to indicate that the girl in question was a foreign national. > > Or if the poster had said that her ex husband’s Chinese girlfriend was working illegally? It’s the same thing; the reasonable understanding is that the girl was a Chinese national. > > Even though many native-born Americans might refer to themselves as “Chinese” in the appropriate context. Except she never said “working illegally”. The girl could have needed a stolen identity to evade wage garnishment, or to hide from an ex-boyfriend, or to avoid a credit check. The word “hispanic” was used to mean “and therefore is illegal and needs to use another identity to legally work”. One more comment on Hispanic vs Latino. I agree that Latino is safer, but while it isn’t quite offensive here in Texas, it would come across as weird: here, Latino sounds like someone is trying real hard to be politically correct but doesn’t actually know any brown people. It’s a book word, not a life word. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Gui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@El\_Gui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Gui)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/24 "2011-08-04T23:02:22Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > It’s not necessary, but it helps. Now I can picture her appearance accurately, [like so](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/Dora_and_Boots.jpg). His then ex hispanic girlfriend was a lesbian? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/25 "2011-08-04T23:21:05Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Except she never said “working illegally”. The girl could have needed a stolen identity to evade wage garnishment, or to hide from an ex-boyfriend, or to avoid a credit check. The word “hispanic” was used to mean “and therefore is illegal and needs to use another identity to legally work”. > . Lets see. The girl/lady stole someones identity to work. Not to apparently work a financial scam of some sort but just to work. AND she is “hispanic”. Neither one is damning on its own. But the combination? My money is on she’s “illegal” (or was till the marriage). Of course I guess one could argue a brown person is more likely to be working a scam or evading wage garnishment than trying to evade la emigra… ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/26 "2011-08-04T23:24:00Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Except she never said “working illegally”. The girl could have needed a stolen identity to evade wage garnishment, or to hide from an ex-boyfriend, or to avoid a credit check. The word “hispanic” was used to mean “and therefore is illegal and needs to use another identity to legally work”. right, which reminds me: [Crazed Palestinian Gunman Angered By Stereotypes](http://www.theonion.com/articles/crazed-palestinian-gunman-angered-by-stereotypes,1651/) ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/27 "2011-08-05T00:15:37Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Of course I guess one could argue a brown person is more likely to be working a scam or evading wage garnishment than trying to evade la emigra… Dude, it’s “la migra.” ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/28 "2011-08-05T00:20:07Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Apparently, some say Hispanic is offensive as a generalization because it refers to the people of what Columbus called Hispanola. So. . .Domincan people, I guess? No. “Hispanic” comes from “Hispania,” the Roman and medieval name for Iberia (now Spain plus Portugal). The Portuguese referent fell out of later usages, after the consolidation of the kingdom of Spain. “Hispania” came to be rendered “España.” “Hispaniola” basically just means _island of Spain_ (in a contracted form). In modern times “Hispanic” has been understood to mean Spaniards plus all New World populations with Spanish colonial history. You can see how this determinative position for the colonizing culture could be politically incorrect in some circles. “Latinoamericano,” or “Latino,” specifically excludes Spaniards, includes Portuguese-speaking Brazilians, and generally allows for an African heritage which isn’t included in some other formulations. Just make sure you say “Latina” for women! But if you’re dealing with individuals, it’s best to know specifics. I think Latinos appreciate your knowing the difference between a Cuban and a Honduran about as much as “Euros” appreciate your knowing the difference between a Dane and a Czech. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/29 "2011-08-05T00:49:00Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > My money is on she’s “illegal” (or was till the marriage). Correcting this misperception: people do not automatically become legal when they marry a US citizen. Spouses still have to qualify under the law, including the rules regarding returning to their country of origin for either a year or ten years if they have spent any time in the US illegally. They still have to pass a background check. They still have to pass the health requirements. US citizen spouses still have to demonstrate financial means. There is no magic wand that confers legal status at the moment of marriage. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/30 "2011-08-05T01:50:01Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Except she never said “working illegally”. I would say it’s a pretty reasonable reading of the post. But anyway, imagine it had read as follows: > [@](#): > > A few years ago my ex husband then eastern european girlfriend used my ID and my name to get a job at a Red Lobster in Provo, Utah. They have since married and my assumptions is she has become a citizen because of the marriage. Is there anything I can do to pursue any sort of grievance? I found this out when I tried to refi my house. Wouldn’t you infer that the girl was working illegally? Or how about this: > [@](#): > > A few years ago my ex husband then Chinese girlfriend used my ID and my name to get a job at a Red Lobster in Provo, Utah. They have since married and my assumptions is she has become a citizen because of the marriage. Is there anything I can do to pursue any sort of grievance? I found this out when I tried to refi my house. Again, wouldn’t you infer that the girl had been working illegally? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/31 "2011-08-05T01:51:24Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > … as much as “Euros” appreciate your knowing the difference between a Dane and a Czech. Well duh! One’s a dog and the other’s a piece of paper I use to pay my rent. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/32 "2011-08-05T01:54:04Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > In modern times “Hispanic” has been understood to mean Spaniards plus all New World populations with Spanish colonial history. You can see how this determinative position for the colonizing culture could be politically incorrect in some circles. > > “Latinoamericano,” or “Latino,” specifically excludes Spaniards, includes Portuguese-speaking Brazilians, and generally allows for an African heritage which isn’t included in some other formulations. For what it’s worth, “Hispanic” can include Brazillians. As you point out yourself, words can change in meaning over time. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/33 "2011-08-05T02:01:41Z")
I still don’t understand how her being an illegal immigrant is relevant to anything. She stole the OP’s SSN and the OP was asking how she would go about dealing with this problem. Who cares whether the identity theft was done by a citizen or an alien? Someone said that if a non-citizen steals your SSN they won’t be able to use it for much, as opposed to if a citizen stole it. Why? What about being a citizen makes it easier to commit the crime of identity theft in the US? I’m still confused. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/34 "2011-08-05T02:07:19Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > For what it’s worth, “Hispanic” can include Brazillians. As you point out yourself, words can change in meaning over time. Well, perhaps you know something about that. I know some Luso-Brazilians are emphatic to the contrary. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/35 "2011-08-05T02:14:46Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Well, perhaps you know something about that. Well I know what I read in the dictionary. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/36 "2011-08-05T02:18:22Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I still don’t understand how her being an illegal immigrant is relevant to anything. Well probably the fact that she worked at Red Lobster as opposed to Wendy’s is also irrelevant. But still, it’s part of the story. If the poster had said “foreign” instead of “hispanic,” I doubt anyone would have cared. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/37 "2011-08-05T02:29:57Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I’ve never heard a Hispanic person from here refer to themselves as anything but Hispanic, or more specifically by their country of origin. I think if I knew the persons specific origin I would just use that, assuming it was relevant. But if I had to describe a stranger physically I might use either generic term, since origin in that case us unknown and irrelevant. I don’t know what the proper usage is but in my mind “Latino” sounds classier than “Hispanic” for some reason. My brother just calls everyone “Mexicans” which makes me roll my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/38 "2011-08-05T03:17:32Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I still don’t understand how her being an illegal immigrant is relevant to anything. She stole the OP’s SSN and the OP was asking how she would go about dealing with this problem. Who cares whether the identity theft was done by a citizen or an alien? Someone said that if a non-citizen steals your SSN they won’t be able to use it for much, as opposed to if a citizen stole it. Why? What about being a citizen makes it easier to commit the crime of identity theft in the US? I’m still confused. Well, the citizenship status of the girlfriend does affect why she used the SSN. If you’re a citizen, you don’t need to borrow someone else’s SSN to get a job. It’s possible that this woman of Latino descent did nothing more nefarious with her SSN than pay into her Social Security account. If a citizen steals your SSN, then they are inescapably up to no good. I have the urge to go to Red Lobster now and get those delicious biscuits. Maybe this is all a stealth marketing campaign by Red Lobster. Is it Endless Crab Leg week or something? ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/39 "2011-08-05T03:52:52Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Of course I guess one could argue a brown person is more likely to be working a scam or evading wage garnishment than trying to evade la emigra… One could equally validly argue the exact opposite actually. Seeing as how brown people have lived in these United States [far](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoma_Pueblo) [longer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taos_Pueblo) [than](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caparra,_Puerto_Rico) [white](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan,_Puerto_Rico) [people](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine,_Florida). ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479/40 "2011-08-05T04:22:57Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > Giving it the best possible reading, one could say that the word “Hispanic” was used to refer to the girl’s origin and not her race or ethnicity. Part of my point is that Hispanic doesn’t indicate a nationality or even a set of them. Asian would be similar. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-all-brown-people-are-illegal-immigrants/591479.md?page=3)