Whitman On Language

Again, Sensible Moderation On Immigration

POLLS show that most Americans want to designate English as the nation’s official language. So it took courage for Governor Whitman to speak out against such proposals last week.

It also put her at odds with her party’s leadership, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan.

The official language movement is fueled by concern that many immigrants won’t learn English if they can get by in their native tongues. Congress is considering bills that would ban the printing of bilingual ballots and cut off federal funding for bilingual education.

Designating English as an official language could make it harder for recently arrived immigrants to join America’s mainstream. Students thrown into classes taught in a language they can’t understand could fall behind or drop out, for example.

Immigrants already have ample reason to learn English. It helps them get jobs and education. It allows them to speak to other Americans and to appreciate the American culture. Studies confirm that today’s immigrants are learning English as fast as those in earlier waves.

Xenophobia may explain why some Americans are ready to believe that immigrants don’t want to learn English.

In speaking out against making English the official language, Mrs. Whitman added one important caveat: Bilingual education, she said, should be a transitional program. The purpose must be to teach students English as fast as possible and shift them into English-speaking classes. Too often, students spend years attending classes in their native tongues.

This was the second time this year that Mrs. Whitman broke with national GOP leaders on issues related to immigration. Earlier, she spoke out against plans to deny welfare benefits to legal aliens.

New Jersey, like California, is a favorite destination of today’s immigrants. Yet New Jersey has been spared much of the bitter divisions and punitive policies that have taken root in California. Mrs. Whitman’s decisive and sympathetic leadership is part of the reason why.



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