(Federation for American Immigration Reform)—When asked about the process of how to maximize learning Albert Einstein once remarked, “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Most educators would agree, though evidently not some in the Davidson County, North Carolina, school system — especially if the question involves a prickly immigration-related word. High school student Christian McGhee found that out the hard way last year when he was suspended for simply saying “illegal alien” as part of a question he posed in English class.
The incident occurred in April 2024 when Christian asked for clarification after his Central Davidson High School English teacher assigned a vocabulary exercise using the word “alien.” Christian inquired whether the word referred to “space aliens, or illegal aliens who need green cards”. His question prompted a Hispanic student in the class to say he was going to “kick Christian’s ass,” after which the teacher referred the matter to the assistant principal. Christian was quickly found guilty of “making a racially insensitive remark that caused a class disturbance” and sentenced with a three-day suspension (The threat was later revealed simply to be a joke made by a classmate friend.)
The McGhee family appealed the decision without success. The Liberty Justice Center then offered to file a lawsuit on their behalf against the Davidson County Board of Education and the assistant principal, alleging Christian’s suspension violated his rights to free speech, due process, and access to education.
After a year-long legal battle that included alleged personal smears against Christian’s mother by two school board officials, a settlement has been reached in his favor. The Davidson County school system has agreed to apologize to the family “for the mischaracterization of racial bias,” remove any reference to it from the student’s school record, and pay him $20,000 to help cover private school tuition costs.
While the outcome is positive, the initial decision to penalize Christian was an appalling instance of overreaction and politically correct hypersensitivity. As Christian explained to the Carolina Journal, “I didn’t make a statement directed towards anyone. I asked a question. I wasn’t speaking of Hispanics, because everyone from other countries needs green cards, and the term ‘illegal alien’ is an actual term that I hear on the news and can find in the dictionary.”
He’s right; “illegal alien” is an actual term and a precise one at that. In fact it’s the most legally descriptive term in the lexicon of immigration law. It delineates between one of only two possible categories: one either has legal status to be on U.S. soil, or one is residing here illegally. “Illegal” means prohibited by law; entry without inspection into the U.S., or overstaying a visa is prohibited. And “alien” is a term that refers to a person who is not a citizen of the country. The term is well defined in 8 U.S.C., Section 1101. It is used by legal professionals across the board including the United States Supreme Court.
It’s really no surprise that it was in an English class where Christian’s troubles began. Movements often begin by indoctrination and manipulating language to hide the truth or to promote falsehoods. For mass immigration advocates, the term “illegal alien” is taboo, not because it’s inherently offensive, but because of its clarity and truth, which, for the left, must remain hidden. Drop the first word “illegal” and the law violation is magically erased. The incident is sadly ironic; Christian was penalized for earnestly seeking word clarity in an English class.
Hopefully, the freedom to question, express oneself, and to use legally accurate terms to describe and discuss America’s immigration crisis haven’t themselves become “alien concepts.” For now, score one for the First Amendment in North Carolina thanks to the tenacious efforts of Christian McGhee’s family and the Liberty Justice Center.