Maybe you brainiacs should consider the term UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. ‘Illegals’ is a dehumanizing term for knuckle draggers and fascist leaders who think undocumented immigrants have no right to exist, let alone be here. I doubt many educated people doing a study would label or call them illegals.
The term is actually illegal aliens. I get what you're saying (dehumanizing might be a little dramatic), but at the end of the day crossing the border illegally means they are here illegally. The manner in which they cross the border involves breaking law(s) no different than a thief stealing from a store. People who steal from a grocery store due to food insecurity are still shoplifters, regardless of how we feel about the context.
