Read the curious phrasing the State Dept. used to recognize International Migrants Day

Uncle Sam endorsing border-crossing — without a legal caveat?

On Thursday, in honor of International Migrants Day, the State Department tweeted out a statement from spokesperson Jen Psaki praising immigrants.

The specific group the tweet "recognize[d]": "people who cross borders."

On Int'l #MigrantsDay we recognize people who cross borders in search of better life, celebrate their contributions. https://t.co/lss6Fw4bjE

— Department of State (@StateDept) December 18, 2014

A few people on Twitter noted the curious phrasing...

How Wonderfully Ironic:) {V @StateDept On Int'l #MigrantsDay We Recognize {Our Sisters And Brothers} People Who Cross Borders In Search...

— Lorrie Cellini (@LCellini) December 18, 2014

@StateDept legally cross not illegally

— Mary (@Dylanesque2604) December 18, 2014

...and called on the State Department to protect the U.S. border.

@StateDept How about enforce the laws..............

— Trawling Troll (@TrawlingTroll) December 18, 2014

Of course, many others on Twitter were issuing praise for immigrants worldwide Thursday.

#InternationalMigrantsDay Moving far away for opportunity was the best thing I ever did. Everyone deserves that mobility.

— Melissa, Basílissa (@0xabad1dea) December 18, 2014

Happy #InternationalMigrantsDay to all the brave people who crossed borders to better their lives, enrich the world & make it a home

— Migrant Voice (@MigrantVoiceUK)

December 18, 2014

“Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future." - Ban Ki-moon #InternationalMigrantsDay @UN

— Kristalina Georgieva (@KGeorgievaEU) December 18, 2014

Read Psaki's full statement below:

On International Migrants Day we recognize the millions of people around the world who cross borders in search of a better life and we celebrate their contributions. But this year it is also a day to mourn the thousands whose journeys began in desperation and hope but ended in death.

This year, nearly 5,000 migrants lost their lives, crossing parched deserts, remote mountains, and treacherous seas – twice as many as last year. Deaths at sea surged as record numbers attempted to make it from North Africa to Europe. More than 3,000 migrants drowned when overcrowded, unseaworthy boats capsized or sank in the Mediterranean Sea. The danger is not going away. Poverty, hunger, and brutal wars like the one raging in Syria will continue to drive the exodus. Globally, more people are now forcibly displaced than at any other time since World War II. There are no simple solutions. Opportunities for safe, legal, and orderly migration are limited. The sordid business of human smuggling and trafficking is flourishing – and becoming more institutionalized and profitable. Responding to irregular migration may be politically and logistically difficult, and even migrants traveling legally may face harassment, discrimination, and abuse. But our priority is and must be saving lives.

The United States works bilaterally and multilaterally with the international community to make migration safer and the control of borders more humane. When unprecedented numbers of unaccompanied children risked their lives traveling from Central America to the United States this year, we began new initiatives with Central American governments to address the root causes of this challenge, publicize the hazards, strengthen protection programs, and create safe, legal alternatives for children seeking to join their parents in the United States. Hardship and hopelessness prompt far too many people to forsake their homes and venture into harm’s way. As long as this is the case, migrants need our compassion. Their lives may depend on it.

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Follow Zach Noble (@thezachnoble) on Twitter