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"We have room for but one language in this country, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding house."
---Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

One of the debates within the issue of immigration is the "English Only" movement. The argument is that, by declaring English as the official language of the U.S., the government could get rid of any foreign language in official government operation, including documents, voting, bills, etc.

On one side, the policy would potentially unify America under one language and could potentially "empower" immigrants with a new tool. On the other hand, it would debilitate anyone who couldn't speak English and erase much of the individual cultures within the country.



Glenn Beck, a Fox News pundit, claims that diversity could make us "collapse" and while discussing the issue, he jumps back and forth from discussing the issue as a whole and an isolated incident involving a public school. Beck also "corrects [Dan Restrepo's] English" when Restrepo refers to undocumented workers, saying "not undocumented, illegal."

The debate has been around since the 80s, when an "anti-bilingual" ordinance was passed in a Florida county. Though it was later repealed, it helped to jump forward the political movement. Today, the debate continues, even reaching the 2008 presidential election campaign of Barack Obama. In a campaign speech to Powder Springs, GA, Obama stated his belief that instead of focusing on immigrants learning English, we should also be teaching American children to speak foreign languages.



Obama's statement that American's need to learn Spanish got him harsh reviews on Fox News. They focused on that one phrase, ignoring his general statement that American education, in regards to language, can't compete with that of the Europeans. Bay Buchanan, a Republican strategist brought on to criticize Obama's words, shows this point-blank, saying that if the phrase was part of a larger statement, it may slide, but refers to it as a "full, hardy statement."



This issue was also discussed in several editorial cartoons, including "Air Traffic" by Mike Lester.



In this cartoon, Lester makes it obvious where he stands with the issue. He shows an immigrant with a lawyer, who is telling an employer that he can't discriminate because the immigrant can't speak English. The employer interrupts, informing the reader that the immigrant is trying for a job as an air traffic controller, which obviously requires very solid English skills. While Lester makes a valid point that some jobs it is necessary for an employee to speak English fluently, he neglects to show all the jobs where it isn't necessary. Lester is agenda setting by guiding the reader to his point-of-view and frames the immigrant in a negative way. He is, in essence, isolating the immigrant in his cartoon and any non-native English speaker who views the cartoon, the same thing some would argue would happen with an "English only" policy.

--Kasey Van Dyke