Thread: 101 Years in America, But Unable to Speak English

A few days ago, KRGV-TV in Brownsville, Texas reported that Eulalia Garcia Maturey of that city has became a United States citizen. That's terrific for her and it could have been a great story about the American melting pot, but there are a few flies in the pot.

Ms. Maturey is one hundred and one years old. She arrived (legally) in the U.S. as an infant with her parents on October 12, 1909, one hundred and one years to the day before she became a citizen.

But you see, the problem is that Mrs. Maturey doesn't speak English, and after becoming a citizen she said "soy una cuidano Americana."

It's not easy learning a foreign language, but one hundred years does seem to be a reasonable period during which prospective citizens should be able to learn the language. Si?

I contrast this with the story of my immigrant family. My mother arrived as a thirty-five year old refugee in 1946, joining my father, from whom she had been involuntarily separated by World War II. Mom spoke not a word of English. But this was America she felt and you couldn't be really American if you didn't speak English. And what Mom wanted was to be American; to read the newspapers; learn the history of her adopted country; be able to hear President Truman when he addressed the Nation. To learn the politics and participate in the social and political life of the United States of America.

So Mom made the effort. She made the basic steps in learning English, and listened to the radio as much as possible so she'd get a true sense and understanding of spoken American English. So, within a year she was nearly fluent. My sister, who arrived speaking only French, mastered English so completely that after six months she refused to utter a single word in anything other than the language of her new country.

Mom's native language was German, and to the end of her life she never lost her German accent. Never once in my life did I hear her say the "th" sound. It was always "ze," as in "ze phone" or "ze car." Similarly, I never heard her say "what, which, where or why," only "vot, vich, vare, and vie." (Until corrected by a teacher in third grade I thought the word "clothes" was pronounced "closes.")

Accented though it was, she spoke, read and wrote in English, the language of her adopted country. As a very old lady living in Florida she would go to a German delicatessen to get her wursts. Hearing her accent the owners would immediately speak to her in German, but she always replied in English only. Though too polite to scold the shop people, she told me: "This is America, we speak English here."

So, forgive me if I find the circumstances of Ms. Maturey's citizenship less than wonderful. One hundred years in our country and she doesn't speak the language. She may not speak English, but she has sent us a clear message that in a whole century she never felt any desire to be, as my mother would say, "really American." She has also communicated to us that the schools and teachers in Texas have failed, failed completely, to make Americans out of foreigners.

When the Maturey family was asked the reason for her deciding to become a citizen after all these years, they didn't say it was because she loves this country, they said it was because her old border crossing card was no longer valid for getting back into the U.S. after visiting her family in Mexico. . . she needed a passport. Thus it is clear that from her infancy to her old age our nation failed to encourage this lady to become integrated into our society or feel a true attachment to our country. When she admitted she became a citizen because she needed the right documents, this one little old lady speaking in Spanish did a better job of exposing that failure than the most eloquent of English speakers could possibly have done.

When KRGV aired this story, it ended with Ms. Maturey's niece, Yolanda Ovalle, speaking of how happy her aunt was to be a U.S. citizen. Ovalle, evidently in her fifties, needed someone to translate her own comments from Spanish into English.

Welcome to the United States.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/pu ... detail.asp

She has also communicated to us that the schools and teachers in Texas have failed, failed completely, to make Americans out of foreigners.

Sorry,but that is REALLY IGNORANT of her to say that. For one it is not up to the public school system to make you a citizen.

To be an American citizen from another country,YOU,the INDIVIDUAL have to have the PASSION inside to become an AMerican citizen.

DO NOT blame OTHERS for your FAILURE!

And I thought to become an American citizen you had to know English?

Generally, you must have been a legal resident for five years. Also, you must have knowledge of English and U.S. history and have good moral character. It is VERY important to speak to an immigration attorney if you ever have been arrested or convicted of any crime, no matter how minor. Certain offenses not only will result in a denial of naturalization but could lead to deportation.
Must I speak English perfectly to be able to become a citizen?
No. You must be able to read, write, and speak basic English. Some schools have classes to help people get ready for the test. You do not have to take the English test if any of the following apply to you:
• If you are over 50 and have lived in the U.S. as a legal resident for at least 20 years.
• If you are over 55 and lived in the U.S. as a legal resident for at least 15 years.
• If you have a physical or mental disability that prevents you from learning. You must fill out a form and have a doctor sign the form too. It is best to talk to an attorney if you think this applies to you.

http://www.indianajustice.org/Data/Docu ... zation.pdf

Requirements to Become a U.S. Citizen through Naturalization

Naturalization is a process where you show Immigration that you meet certain legal requirements for becoming a U.S. citizen. To do this in Maine, generally you must:
•be at least 18 years old;
•be a permanent resident (have your "green card");
•have lived in Maine for at least the past 3 months;
•have had your green card for at least 5 years (or 3 years, if you have been married to a U.S. citizen for the past 3 years);
•have actually lived inside the U.S. for at least 2½ years during the past 5 years (or 1½ years of the past 3 years if you have been married to a U.S. citizen during the past 3 years). Note that if you have taken a trip outside the U.S. that lasted one year or more, you might not be eligible for citizenship now, even if you've lived inside the US for longer than the periods mentioned here;
•be able to speak, read and write simple English, and pass a test on U.S. history and government. There are some exceptions to these requirements for older or disabled people. If you became a U.S. citizen through the 1986 "amnesty" program and were successfully tested then, you will not need to be tested again when you apply for naturalization;
•have "good moral character" (see below);
•be willing to swear (take an oath about) your allegiance or loyalty to the United States, including your willingness to fight in the U.S. military or do other national service if required. You may be exempt if your religion or moral values would not allow you to do military service. Also, a person who is so disabled that she could not possibly understand the oath (a person with severe mental retardation or with Alzheimer's disease, for example) may not have to take the oath. Talk to an experienced immigration advocate if you or an ill person you know may need one of these exceptions, before beginning the naturalization process.

http://www.ptla.org/immigrants/english/citizenship.htm

http://www.visapro.com/immigration-arti ... =1022&z=44

http://www.cuny.edu/about/resources/cit ... tizen.html

WHO gave her citizenship when she DOES NOT PASS on several conditions to become a citizen?

OR is this more of the political arena sucking up? I will leave it there.

[quote]Your Rights and Responsibilities
What you do now as a permanent resident can affect
your ability to become a U.S. citizen later. The process of
becoming a U.S. citizen is called “naturalization.â€

When KRGV aired this story, it ended with Ms. Maturey's niece, Yolanda Ovalle, speaking of how happy her aunt was to be a U.S. citizen. Ovalle, evidently in her fifties, needed someone to translate her own comments from Spanish into English.

This story highlights everything that is wrong with many of those who come to this country from mexico, but would apply to anyone from anywhere with a similar attitude of entitlement and disrespect to their host country. They have no desire to assimilate and embrace the host culture. They are only here because of the goodies available to then in this country, which can be gained while not speaking a word of English apparently.

And we have a government who panders to them and offers them everything in spanish. The fact this woman wanted almost a 100 years top get here citizenship demonstrates she had no desire to become an American citizen. The fact she was also allowed to remain here for 100 years without becoming an American is also troubling. She only became an American to make her border crossings to her beloved mexico possible.

What a disgrace...

There are a number of things that seem wrong here:

1. cannot speak English and thus satisfy a requirement for citizenship
2. and what was the score on the civic exam? Hard to take a test
in English when you do not speak and I presume read or write it
effectively.
3. you do not have to obtain citizenship in order to obtain "documents"
allowing cross border travel.

Questions and concerns:

1. has this woman been receiving taxpayer funded benefits?
2. has the woman been in the country illegally even though it is stated
that she initially came here legally?
3. will the woman be seeking to chain migrate siblings? Nothing beats
that free American health care and welfare!

Bottom Line:

1. politically correct progressive behavior is expensive and will ruin this
nation.
2. this is probably the tip of the iceberg regarding this type of case where
significant legislative license seems to have been taken at the
agency and or employee level.
3. more information about this specific case should be sought and those
not following the law in carrying out their duty should be punished
accordingly.

Sounds like another case for Rep. Poe's office to look into and get straightened out!

The State of Texas is to blame! Texas was too late to develope their bilingual program to be of benefit to this poor family; they should sue Texas. Texas now 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.

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!

"dumbing down" for American kids. And holding up progress for the rest in the classrooms. The same thing is going on here in N Carolina