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# Rational reform can unite divided nation
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/rational-reform-can-unite-divided-nation/
- Published: 2006-05-20T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:59:37.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By ERIC ROTH*

Dear President Bush, Thank you for taking up the unpopular, complex, and difficult issue of illegal immigration on Monday night.

Given the huge opposition to both open borders and amnesty, I suggest you take four overdue steps to calm the atmosphere and improve the possibilities for humane, rational immigration reform that will strengthen and unite our too-divided nation.

Secure the border: People will not support any amnesty if they expect, based on all available evidence, that it will simply become an open border. We are not annexing Mexico, inviting the world’s poor, or abolishing the border. We must enforce our laws before we reform our laws.

By the way, it’s a bit spooky that nobody actually knows how many illegal immigrants live in the United States. The government’s failure to collect information looks like a serious security issue. How can anyone advocate giving new rights if we don’t know the potential impact?

Enforce employer sanctions: The widespread perception remains that both political parties are more sensitive to corporate donors and special interests than the national good. The failure to enforce current employer sanctions, at least against companies with more than 50 employees, creates a lawless atmosphere and reinforces the damaging idea that the wealthy are exempt from laws. If Wal-Mart can track millions of objects sold daily in their stores and even a small Santa Monica bookstore can verify a credit card in seconds, clearly this is a technical possibility. Just do it.

After a year or so of enforced sanctions then you can introduce small and targeted work visas for individuals who have paid a fine, gone through a background check, and indicated a desire to stay in the United States. You must, however, enforce whatever laws are on the books.

English is the nation’s language: Ask the Congress to pass a constitutional amendment recognizing that English is the nation’s official language. Beyond symbolism, this action should be backed up by a requirement that all illegal immigrants being pardoned must take at least 100 hours of English and civics lessons. As you probably know, the Clinton administration just ignored the clear language of the naturalization law mandating “citizens must be able to read, write and speak English.”

As a former director of a citizenship program back in mid-1990s, I can verify that the huge rush of applications “inspired” Immigration and Naturalization Services to continuing lowering their standards. By 1996, the INS standard — in LA County at least — didn’t go beyond answering a few set questions in English and writing two sample sentences that were dictated. The most common sentences were “I love the U.S.” and “My family lives in the U.S.” Wow. What standards.

The ruse worked, and more than 6 million folks became naturalized before the 1996 election. Of course, the new citizens were overwhelming Democrat, and were concentrated in five key states: California, New York, Illinois, Florida and Texas. On a partisan level, that decision certainly helped Clinton win re-election. On an objective national level, however, the failure to enforce the law that reasonably requires citizens to speak English hurt the United States.

Eventually, Congress ordered new standards. Price and Waterhouse did an outside study to revise and modernize the naturalization system. So what does the Bush administration plan? The preliminary indications are not much better higher than the very, very low, low standard adopted to rapidly process millions of applications. For historical perspective, immigrants after WWII had to write two long essays on a principle of the government or historical event.

Emphasizing that English is and must remain the nation’s language will alleviate the acute anxiety of many people, especially in states like California, who fear that English will be displaced as our national language and feel that far too many illegal immigrants want to “reconquer” the Southwest and California for Mexico. Besides, something like 90 percent of the public supports a constitutional amendment to make English the official language. In this case, good politics makes good policy.

Provide eventual citizenship: We want the honest, hardworking illegal immigrants already here, however, to eventually join the American family. Let’s do it slowly, systematically, fairly and humanely.

Perhaps the penalty for illegally entering the country ought to be waiting an additional dozen years about paying a fine when few would dispute that these people have established roots in the United States. The current Kennedy-McCain bill calls for immigrants to pay a $1,000 fine, but $20,000 would be far more popular. The additional fees could be justified as the costs of providing free public schools for the self-selected immigrants. If people had to take out loans to become citizens, they also would become more deeply rooted in our nation. The fee would also dissipate a lot of resentment against “free loaders.” How many people born in the United States would voluntarily pay $20,000 to vote in elections and serve on juries?

Likewise, the current Kennedy-McCain bill requires clearing a background check, and passing a naturalization test. I would suggest requiring at least 100 hours of classroom instruction in English and civics, and a serious naturalization with an essay component and extensive interview in English. Again, the imposition of actual standards will increase assimilation and help replace the vivid TV images of crowds shouting in Spanish and waving Mexican flags. Further, we must share the story of our rich national heritage and citizenship should mean awareness of the nation’s triumphs and struggles. Nation-states, as we’ve seen recently in the Balkans, Africa, and across the Middle East, can split along linguistic and ethnic lines in the absence of a strong national identity.

The Statue of Liberty must not become the statue of bigotry. Therefore, please explain that America will never set up machine guns on the border, allow vigilantes to replace trained federal officers, or round up millions of people. We will, however, both fairly enforce our laws and provide an avenue for membership in our great, tolerant, and prosperous nation for our uninvited guests who work hard and play by the rules. (A former director of a citizenship program in West Hollywood, Eric Roth currently teaches writing at USC. Visit www.compellingconvesations.com.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 20, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052006.pdf?ref=smdp.com)