I'm a legal resident alien. That is my classification under the law, and a i have an A# number (Alien number). I am a citizen of a foreign country who has permanent residency in the US until i have been here 5 years and apply to naturalise as a citizen on the basis i am eligible and have shown good moral character by paying my taxes, committing no crimes, and contributing to the country and community.

My documents are my foreign passport, my residency card, and my state ID card. I cannot vote, serve on a jury, and if i claim to be a citizen i am committing an offense. If i commit a felony, i will be deported. I must serve the US if am drafted for a war. If i change address, i must inform USCIS within 10 days. If an officer asks me for my residency card and i cannot produce it, i am committing an offence.

I do not give a flying fuck what anyone thinks is offensive. "Alien" is a legal term denoting i was not born in the US. It is factual. I did not "migrate", i spent years going through the legal process of immigration - fitting into a category, supplying detailed information to be vetted, paying fees, and waiting in line. When i was approved, i was issued a visa from the US embassy in London to travel to the port of entry and request admission to a border officer. I was not allowed to open the paperwork i had to give to the officer. Being admitted as a resident granted me the rights i have under the law, and my documents certify i have been lawfully admitted.

If you do not have documents that are legally issued, you are "illegally present" under the law. You are not "undocumented" and you are not a gazelle "migrating" across the savannah.

They are aliens because they were not born here, and are illegal because they are illegally present without authorisation. It's simple and easy to understand. People's fee-fees are totally irrelevant.