Illegal alien

Illegal alien, person living in a country where he or she is not a citizen and without the government's consent. There are between 3 and 6 million illegal aliens in the United States, half of whom are assumed to be from Mexico. Most illegal aliens have jobs; about half work in the manufacturing or service fields. They are called undocumented workers because they have no immigration papers and therefore cannot legally be employed. In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act was passed in Congress. It set a ceiling on the number of undocumented workers allowed to come to the United States and set severe penalties for employers who hired illegal aliens. The act also granted amnesty to approximately 2 million illegal immigrants.