Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel have been directed to no longer refer to illegal immigrant children crossing the border alone as “UACs” (unaccompanied alien children).

Instead these individuals are to be referred to as “unaccompanied children” in official correspondence, according to an internal ICE email obtained by the Center for Immigration Studies and shared with Breitbart News.

“This was briefed earlier today during he (sic) command and staff meeting,” an email sent to ICE personnel reads. “It has been requested that in correspondence regarding unaccompanied children, They (sic) not be referred to as UACs. The term UAC should not be used in official correspondence.”

The email, with the subject line “UACs,” continues, “The appropriate messaging on documents should be using the term : unaccompanied children all lower case. (Unless capitalizing would be grammatically correct).”

ICE did not respond to requests for comment.

While ICE has been discouraged from using UAC as an official term, Customs and Border Protection is still using “unaccompanied alien children” (ages 0-17 years old) as an official term as it tallies the number it is apprehending at unprecedented levels along the southwest border.

From October 1 to June 15, more than 52,000 unaccompanied illegal immigrant minors have been detained crossing the border.