Thank you for making my point. I agree that "accurate description demands objectivity".

But from the substance of your reply, it appears that you do not. While the word "alien" may conjure up any number of colloquial definitions, including beings from Outer Space, that's precisely the problem: when we use the term "illegal aliens", it is to specify legal status, not to suggest, one way or another, whether they "belong" here in the moral sense. 

As I pointed out in my initial response, one can either be a citizen of a country or an alien - that is, without the privileges of citizenship. Similarly, one can be in a country legally or illegally. There are no other options. Simple, objective, and clear. An editor's dream, no?

Need an example? A non-resident alien can buy an Alaska hunting license. There is no such thing as an "undocumented immigrant" license.

Although you appear wish otherwise, the USA does have borders and immigration laws. Even editors should be able to observe that.