Thread: Immigration Debate Fuels State English Laws

Thursday, June 3, 2010 8:00 AM
Immigration Debate Fuels State English Laws
By Tom Risen


A ballot option to make English the official state language of Oklahoma is the latest example of regional laws driven by frustrations with the federal response to illegal immigration.

Recent history shows that legislation to make English an official state language has greater popularity in times of frustrated immigration debate. In 1986, 1996 and 2006, immigration bills came before Congress, and in each of these years support emerged for laws to make English the official language at the state or federal level, said Tim Schultz, government relations director for advocacy group U.S. English.

Such state ballot initiatives have never lost and Schultz expects Oklahoma to become the thirty-first state to make English the official language of government and business.

"There was a big period of these laws in the mid '80s," Schultz said. "There was a big discussion about immigration reform around the 1986 amnesty, and some laws came on the heels of that. And there was a big spasm of these laws in the early to mid-'90s. And when the Republicans took control of Congress" former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich "brought it to the forefront more than most people would have."

The same year federal immigration reform passed Congress in 1996, Gingrich presided over House approval of a bill that would make English the official language of the United States by a vote of 259 to 169. The bill idled in the Senate and lapsed at the end of that session.

Schultz' group supports state and federal laws that "align incentives in favor of trying to get people to learn English" by making English the official language of business and government.

"None of these measures actually coerce people into learning a language," Schultz said.

Arizona passed a ballot initiative to make English the official state language in 2006 when immigration reform failed to pass Congress. The bill was sponsored by Russell Pearce, the same Arizona state senator who sponsored Arizona's new law that allows detention of suspected illegal immigrants. Idaho and Kansas have also passed English language ballot initiatives since 2006.

Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said the Arizona immigration law and the Oklahoma's ballot initiative come from the same "anti-immigrant" reaction.

"I think that's the political tenor out there and unfortunately nothing is being done at a national level to counteract it," Grijalva said. "The Republican Party is trying to craft it as a third plank in the upcoming elections. And that has enough of my Democratic colleagues frightened with little political will to act on it. So you combine these factors and you get the Oklahoma initiative, which reflects the mood out there."

A Rasmussen Reports automated phone survey conducted in May indicated 87 percent of adults favor of making English the nation's official language. A separate Rasmussen automated phone survey from May indicated 59 percent of likely voters support Arizona's new illegal immigration law.

President Obama hinted support for English language laws in a May 19 press conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, listing "I believe they should learn English" along with paying fines and back taxes as citizenship requirements for illegal immigrants.

In July 2008, candidate Obama commented on the same subject: "Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English ... you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish."

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., called English "the key to success in the United States and the language of commerce around the world" but also said his office has noticed an effort " to exploit concerns people have about immigration for political gain."

"Exploiting people's misperception that English is in jeopardy, or that immigrants today are learning English less quickly than their predecessors, is not very good short-term politics and horrible long-term politics," said Douglas Rivlin, spokesman for Gutierrez.


http://burnafterreading.nationaljournal ... drives.php

In July 2008, candidate Obama commented on the same subject: "Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English ... you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish."

Yeah...who could forget.

...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

Speaking another language is good imo but our country should try to unite people, a common language helps do that.

In July 2008, candidate Obama commented on the same subject: "Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English ... you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish."

Yeah and Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Punjabi, Urdu, Japanese, Portuguese, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese....who did I forget? How many languages do our kids have to learn? Hey maybe grammar school could just be six years of foreign language only.

Oklahoma has a chance to stop this madness before you drown your education system attempting to educate the ILLEGALS and their anchors! Texas has a "bilingual" program for just "Spanish" speakers only costing Billions of dollars once it began to pick up steam. The ILLEGALS and their anchors in the Texas School System are so illiterate that "our" schools have to spend time and resources to teach the ILLEGALS and anchors "proper" Spanish before they can even consider teaching the ILLEGALS and anchors English! The ILLEGALS and anchors have their own program starting in pre-kindergarten through the 5th grade, seven years, and most do not or do not want to learn English. But the Feds and State of Texas continue to flood the school system with "our" money.

Don't be concerned, the ILLEGALS do not have any intention of learning English! They want to take over the United States for their Third World "home" countries or at the very least turn the United States into just another Third World Country so they may "feel" more at "home"!

The United States has always welcomed refugees and legal immigrants; the problem in the United States has to do with ILLEGALS invading our nation with out any desire to assimilate as citizens but only obtain citizenship in an effort to steal from our treasury and take jobs from citizens sending their ill gotten gains back to their home countries.

Originally Posted by NoBueno

In July 2008, candidate Obama commented on the same subject: "Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English ... you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish."

This is so outrageous that I googled it, to confirm. (I didn't pay much attention to Obama early on, because I thought that he was just an annoying clown.) IMO this is part and parcel of his incessant pandering to "people who play by the rules."

There is something to be said for learning foreign languages - tho with English being something of a universal language, it's more a matter of enrichment than of necessity - but there is no valid argument for people not being required to communicate with us in our language.

One of the most profound changes in our country is the abandonment of standards. This would, IMO, be a very good time to rediscover them.

Originally Posted by jean

We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

This would be a very good place to start.

Originally Posted by NoBueno

In July 2008, candidate Obama commented on the same subject: "Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English ... you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish."

Yeah...who could forget.

And he is the one that can't speak Spanish . . . except for si, se pueda.

Such state ballot initiatives have never lost and Schultz expects Oklahoma to become the thirty-first state to make English the official language of government and business.

Yay! We have to get the each state to declare English the National language of our country.

http://Immigration.Civiltalks.Com will allow you to keep the track of events. The website is highlighting the current attitude towards Arizona's immigration law. Moreover, if you have already taken a stance over this controversial issue, you can make your own contribution by sharing new facts and arguments about illegal immigration and SB 1070. Make your opinion heard – don't stand aside and let other people decide over this important issue.