Speech #1030118339

Mr. President. of those common values and accepted ways of conducting ourselves. perhaps the single greatest common thread that unites our diverse peoples is language. For generations. immigrants coming into this country understood that if they studied hard. learned the English language. and applied themselves. then they could be whatever they wanted to be. They understood that if they failed to learn Englisha big part of that cohesiveness which holds us togetherand provides the cohesiveness that we need to function as one societythen they could never expect to achieve their full potential. My own ancestors emigrated from Scotland and settled in eastern North Carolina. My grandmother spoke Gaelic fluently up until her death but she was taught English first because that was the most important thing for all new citizens to knowhow to speak English. It was. and still is. the common bond that holds us together. Immigrants understood that while they should be justifiably proud of their heritage and their native language. that they were now Americans. And being an American meant. among other things. speaking the language of America. For generations. that was the bargain. the rich heritage that immigrants brought to the country made America stronger. and America gave those same immigrants a better way of life than they could possibly hope to attain in their native lands. But the price of that bargain was that people coming to America were expected to learn English. the language of America. Now. however. a dangerous trend is occurring. People entering the United States sometimes no longer feel that it is necessary to learn the English language. Whats worse. it is a trend which is being reinforced by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Earlier this year. INS for the first time began conducting Spanish language naturalization ceremonies for now citizens. By doing so. the Immigration and Naturalization Service is doing a grave disservice to those new citizens and to this Nation. It is leading those new citizens to believe that they do not have to be proficient in the English language in order to succeed and function in America. and it is undermining the common thread that binds us together and makes us all Americans. Mr. President. the bill I am introducing today is simple. It does not require that new citizens speak English as a first language. But it does require that the Immigration and Naturalization Services ceremonies for admission of new citizens be in the English language. It is important that the Government of the United States be clear. if you are a legal immigrant. and meet the requirements of citizenship. you are welcome here. But no matter what your nationality. no matter what your first language. you are expected to become a part of American society. and that means that the tie that holds us together is English. It just makes common sense that all citizenship ceremonies in this country should be held in the language of the United States. the English language.