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I think we are all aware that there are people in this country who speak multiple languages (english included) and choose to speak a different language than English the majority of the time because it's their preference.
We are talking about people who moved to this country and chose not to learn English and only know the language of the place they moved from.
Just clearing that up.
I don't know of any immigrants who *choose* not to learn English, other than maybe elderly parents of immigrants already settled here and who have no intention of joining the workforce. Most if not all who enter the workforce avail themselves of ESL and other resources because it's a must for survival. They may not be confident in their ability to speak English, especially with a native-born American, in public.
I think we are all aware that there are people in this country who speak multiple languages (english included) and choose to speak a different language than English the majority of the time because it's their preference.
We are talking about people who moved to this country and chose not to learn English and only know the language of the place they moved from.
I don't know of any immigrants who *choose* not to learn English, other than maybe elderly parents of immigrants already settled here and who have no intention of joining the workforce. Most if not all who enter the workforce avail themselves of ESL and other resources because it's a must for survival. They may not be confident in their ability to speak English, especially with a native-born American, in public.
Well, I'm not confident in my ability to speak Spanish with a Venezuelan. However, I will if that's the only way they'll be able to comprehend something. That's what these folks need to do, make the effort to learn English. No hablo ingles is only a valid excuse for so long.
I don't give a hoot if they use sign language to converse amongst themselves. However, they live in the USA and if they cannot communicate in English that is a problemo, to one degree or another depending on the particular situation.
Your underlying assumption is that they can't communicate in English, just because they're speaking another language in public where you happen to shop. And further you just assumed that they're probably here illegally because of that fact. I don't even know where to begin.
What typically happens is that they are released into the United States within 72 hours with a summons to appear in immigration court at some future date, per "Catch and Release" policy reinstated by our President. Of course that does not count the thousands who get past Border Patrol.
In this midst of this fighting, could someone please explain to me the procedure for entering the country if you do not do it the legal way. My husband came here the legal way--paperwork, fees, background check, medical check, more fees, interview, a sponsor who legally swore to provide for him so that he would never collect welfare, over a year of waiting in his country for permission to immigrate, receive a green card (and more fees!)
So if you just meander over the border, what happens? In search of a better life should not qualify. Send home. But do they get sent back? Who are the people who end up getting bussed all over the country? and why? If they are asylum seekers they're supposed to have a court hearing. Why aren't the asylum seekers held in some sort of dorms until the time for their hearings? Or maybe they are. They aren't just turned loose in Texas or sent on a bus somewhere in the US. Are they? How does our asylum system work?
It may shock you, but I repped you for this comment.
That is a shock. But I will say that many people choose not to learn English. Chinatown, for example, is/was filled with immigrants who never learned. New Bedford is filled with Portuguese immigrants who never learned. It happens more often in places where people can get by with their native language and where there is a larger presence of uneducated people. Many choose not to even try to learn.
Your underlying assumption is that they can't communicate in English, just because they're speaking another language in public where you happen to shop. And further you just assumed that they're probably here illegally because of that fact. I don't even know where to begin.
Why are you having such a hard time admitting that there are immigrants (legally and illegally) in this country who don't know how to speak English?
It is what it is but they are out there. No reason for you to be so offended especially since you're multilingual.
In this midst of this fighting, could someone please explain to me the procedure for entering the country if you do not do it the legal way. My husband came here the legal way--paperwork, fees, background check, medical check, more fees, interview, a sponsor who legally swore to provide for him so that he would never collect welfare, over a year of waiting in his country for permission to immigrate, receive a green card (and more fees!)
So if you just meander over the border, what happens? In search of a better life should not qualify. Send home. But do they get sent back? Who are the people who end up getting bussed all over the country? and why? If they are asylum seekers they're supposed to have a court hearing. Why aren't the asylum seekers held in some sort of dorms until the time for their hearings? Or maybe they are. They aren't just turned loose in Texas or sent on a bus somewhere in the US. Are they? How does our asylum system work?
Much depends on how they enter. If they show up and are admitted to seek asylum they go through that process. If they enter without authorization their fate will be with an immigration judge unless they can get a hardship waiver. If they overstay their visa they just need to marry a US citizen to get a green card. Once in, nobody gets deported unless an Immigration Judge orders them deported, with the exception of those eligible for expedited deportation based on being a visa waiver. Of course, in order to be deported by an immigration judge the executive branch needs to charge you and bring you before the court.Then the same executive branch needs to execute the order. Good luck with that right now.
Your underlying assumption is that they can't communicate in English, just because they're speaking another language in public where you happen to shop. And further you just assumed that they're probably here illegally because of that fact. I don't even know where to begin.
They can't when they look me straight in the eye and say no hablo ingles. That's not an assumption, it's a fact. As I already said, I pivot to Spanish as best I can at that point.
No one knows for sure if the many people they encounter in Market Basket only know how to speak English. Who knows? But there are indeed people in this country who don't know how to speak English.
Clearly there are people here who get offended by the people who think others should learn/speak English. There are also people who get offended/annoyed by people who choose not to speak/learn English.
Personally I want to live in a neighborhood with people who speak English. Thankfully I have that. Someone else might prefer a more diverse neighborhood with lots of different languages or maybe just one language other than English. That is their right/preference as well.
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