How to Say "illegal immigrant" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “illegal immigrant” is “ilegal” — B2 level.
English → SpanishB2
nounB2neutral/formal (but often considered sensitive)
literal but less favored term
Examples
Hay un debate sobre cómo ayudar a los ilegales a obtener sus papeles.
There is a debate about how to help undocumented people obtain their papers.
La policía detuvo a varios ilegales en la frontera.
The police detained several undocumented people at the border.
Adjective Used as a Noun
Sometimes, Spanish speakers drop the person's identity and use the adjective 'ilegal' directly as a noun to refer to that person (e.g., 'el ilegal' or 'la ilegal'). This is a common pattern for many descriptive adjectives in Spanish.
Related Translations
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