Aug. 15, 2004

Relaxing Immigration Laws No Favor to Hispanics

The Senate Judiciary Committee suffered a severe attack of delirium tremens last week when Asa Hutchison, Homeland Security undersecretary, answered questions about President Bush’s plan to alleviate illegal alien problems.

The administration proposes a "guest-worker" program allowing immigrants to come into the country for three or five years.

"Temporary citizens" would enjoy education and welfare benefits, carry visas for unrestricted travel to and from their homeland and earn Social Security credits payable there.

Sen. Teddy Kennedy, as usual, led the nay saying to anything Bush-like. The Massachusetts radlib asserts "people who have lived here for a decade or more and put down roots" should be allowed to apply for permanent residence despite immigrant quotas.

Kennedy’s proposal is not fair to foreigners who apply for U.S. citizenship and wait their turn under existing, limited quotas. However, it is realistic.

Our borders are long and undermanned. Our social services are generous but expensive.

The National Border Patrol Council -- representing all 10,000 border guards -- says the Bush plan is a "slap in the face to anyone who has ever tried to enforce immigration laws of the United States."

Yes, and so are immigration bypasses bestowed on favored minorities. Most noticeable are uneducated, unskilled Haitians suffering from backward government policies of their homeland.  

Three weeks ago, the U.S. Immigration Service allowed 7,000 Ahiska "persecuted minority" Muslims to move to the head of the line.

They will be provided with housing and furniture near the Philadelphia Grand Mosque. The International Migration Organization will help them learn the English language. Pensioners and the disabled are promised "life-long welfare allowances."

The Ahiska will join approximately six million other Muslims in the U.S. Of these, about half are legal immigrants. The other half is converts or native born. The largest concentration is in Dearborn, Michigan, estimated to be a quarter million.  

It is notable that immigrant Muslims and Orientals learn English, and American mores, quickly with out compromising their religions or ethnicity.

 It is illegal immigrants that create a dilemma. They do work that many native-born Americans shun because the wages are not much better than welfare. Forget about self-pride.

Yet, many Hispanics cling to their former homeland lingo. As they achieve political clout by shear voting numbers, they insist the majority accommodate them.

Immigrants in the past were welcomed because they filled a need for willing workers at world wage standards. They were required to take an oath of citizenship in English.

Today, immigrants have a new standard: "I hurt. Take care of me."

Hispanic aliens are old-fashion immigrants. They work for sub-standard wages and refrain from applying for welfare for fear of being discovered and deported.

Hispanics, as a class, earned their Americanism – with one exception they will do well to rectify.

Speak English.

It is an insult to Hispanic-American achievers that latecomers cling to the hyphen. The ploy of politicians seeking cheap votes to prattle in Spanish is condescending. Call both reverse-jingoism.

Ballots, road signs and common labels printed in Spanish are degrading. Its subliminal message is: "Hispanics are intellectually challenged."  

In these days of 27/7 television, it is not necessary that any ethnic group speak English in order to vote. Names are the same in any language. Citizens who cannot recall a name should not be allowed within 200 feet of a polling booth.  

Learning English for every-day purposes is easy. Even American college graduates use only 500 words for ordinary, daily discourse. Foreign exchange students learn in two or three weeks.

Any Hispanics working and living in the United States but cling to Hispanic language – even at home – are paddling outside the mainstream.  

English is not only the language of America, it is the language of commerce worldwide.  There is a reason why it is the language of international aviation.

It is pleasant to recall our roots and celebrate St. Patrick Day, Columbus Day, Cinco de Mayo, October fests, Greek picnics and dragon festivals.  

But trying to make the majority cater to a minority deficiency is self-imposed-segregation.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at linwms@lindseywilliams.org