I'm guessing this is based on some xenophobic feeling that are rooted in situations specific to their homeworld. Sometimes newbies can take a while to adjust to the idea that everything isn't always the way they know it.

They still gotta listen to you as a matter of law, but the most important thing is that they understand that whatever biases or social structures they're used to don't really apply here. Technically, none of us are from their Earth.