OLYMPIA, Wash. — State and local offices across Washington are being directed to remove the word “alien” from state statutes and replace it with “noncitizen” under a new law aimed at modernizing legal language.
The measure, House Bill 2632, was among several bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson last week. The bill was signed by the speaker of the Washington House of Representatives and the Senate president on Mar. 4.
Washington lawmakers say the change aligns the state with similar efforts on the West Coast. California and Oregon are the only other states with laws making the same change across all statutes and documents, and the Washington Legislature’s move puts the entire West Coast in line with the modernization guidelines.
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At the time of passage, the Washington State Senate summarized the bill as doing three things:
“Replaces certain references to the term alien with the term noncitizen.” “Requires all state and local statutes and other official documents enacted after July 1, 2026, to use the term noncitizen or other context-appropriate term, instead of the term alien, when referring to an individual who is not a citizen or national of the United States, unless use of the term alien is required to comply with federal law or funding requirements.” “Allows state agencies to use the expedited rulemaking process if the proposed rule only substitutes the term alien with the term noncitizen or other context-appropriate term but does not change the effect of the rule.”
Supporters say the law makes Washington the fourth state in the nation to remove the word “alien” from its laws when referring to individuals. They describe HB 2632 as a collaborative effort among legislators, legal practitioners and community advocates to keep statutory language clear, accurate, and consistent with contemporary legal standards.
The modernization effort has been a priority of Rep. My-Linh Thai, the bill’s prime sponsor, since she became the first refugee elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 2019. The issue was raised this session again and brought forward by the Undocumented Communities Committee, which focuses on equitable access to legal aid in support of the Washington State Supreme Court-appointed Access to Justice Board.
“As a refugee to this country, I know what it feels like to be labeled as ‘other’. The term ‘alien’ is outdated, dehumanizing, and does not reflect how we speak about people today,” Thai said. “Our laws should reflect who we are as a state. Washington stands for fairness, dignity and equal protection under the law and this bill is part of that ongoing work.”
Supporters included the Washington State Access to Justice Board, the Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General (WFSE Local 5297), the Washington State Pro Bono Council, NAACP Vancouver, and legal experts.
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Backers also pointed to a previous terminology change in state law, noting that Washington revised “oriental” to “asian” in 2001. They said the debate over HB 2632 echoed that earlier effort, with opponents arguing the change was intended to address hurt feelings at the expense of legal clarity.
“The term ‘alien’ does not refer to any specific immigration status,” said Elizabeth Fitzgearld, co-chair of the Undocumented Communities Committee. “When it carries legal meaning, it is always accompanied by a modifier, ‘alien offender,’ ‘legal resident alien,’ ‘nonimmigrant alien.’ This bill replaces a word that is, at best, an ambiguous synonym requiring constant context and, at worst, dehumanizing to Washingtonians without U.S. citizenship with its plain, objective equivalent: noncitizen.”
Fellow co-chair Nicholas Mejía said the bill improves clarity without changing the underlying structure of state law: “‘Noncitizen’ is not less precise than ‘alien’, it is more precise. It states exactly what the statute intends to describe, without implication, without metaphor, and without requiring interpretation. From a governance standpoint, this is careful, restrained lawmaking.”
The legislation takes effect June 11, 2026. It requires state and local statutes and official documents enacted after that date to use updated terminology where appropriate, while preserving language required under federal law.
It also allows state agencies to use an expedited rulemaking process to update existing statutes and documents when the only change is substituting “alien” with “noncitizen” or another context-appropriate term without changing the effect of the rule.