English is also the key to unlocking the opportunity of America. English allows newcomers to go from picking crops to opening a grocery . . . from cleaning offices to running offices . . . from a life of lowpaying jobs to a diploma. a career. and a home of their own. When immigrants assimilate and advance in our society. they realize their dreams ... they renew our spirit . . . and they add to the unity of Americans. Last November. speaking to an audience in DavisMonthan Air Force Base in Tucson. President Bush again stated his support for immigrants to learn English. He said: Every new citizen of the United States has an obligation to learn our custom and our values. including liberty and civic responsibility. equality under God and tolerance for others. and the English language. So this has been very specific. Ronald Reagan addressed it many times. certainly. in the State of the Union Message. I recall being here in 1999. when President Bill Clinton at that time said: Our new immigrants ... have a responsibility to enter the mainstream of America. That means learning English. It goes on and on and on. I think almost every Member has at one time or another talked in the Senate about the reasons it is necessary for the English language to be part of any kind of an immigration bill. Today. once again. I am offering my English amendment.
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immigrants immigration