Yes, hell yeah the terms matter here. Legal immigrants on a visa, some pursuing citizenship, are a far cry from illegals here by criminal means.
One of the biggest lies used in the border war is the effort to conflate the terms illegal aliens and immigrants. These are highly different groups, but people who want to forgive illegal entry will not acknowledge that every alleged "drawback" to a closed border can be addressed through legal, documented immigration. Don't participate in the lie.
Argue about the propriety of non-citizens working in law enforcement all you want, if you can make a valid point of it. Argue that the Democrat leadership of Illinois has created a situation where nobody wants to be a law enforcement officer.
If some politician hands a badge to an illegal, I'll be right there with you. But don't lump law abiding people who respect the laws of this country together with criminals.