Is the ability to speak English a requirement for getting a green card, becoming a legal permanent Resident, becoming a citizen? Does it matter if you received these privledges yourself, or through a family member? (For example, if a mother had a green card, would her children need to speak English before she could apply for them?)
I'm wondering because I know someone who works for the Dept of Economic Security, and in 2006 a law passed saying only citizens or people lawfully in the US could qualify for Medicaid, Cash Assistance, Food Stamps, or state funded child care, and she also said it seems like most of the women (and some men) being paid by the state to provide child care for family members can't speak a word of English, and neither can a lot of people who present what seem to be valid SSNs to get the other benefits.