Senate Votes to Make English the National Language

By Linda Orlando

Lawmakers leading the effort to make English the national language were pleased at the results of two Senate votes Thursday. The first vote, which passed 63-34, called for making English the national language, in order to promote national unity. But shortly thereafter, critics complained about the semantics, saying that such a proclamation would make it difficult for people with limited English skills to get language assistance, which is currently required by an executive order President Clinton enacted. So the Senate then voted 58-39 to make English the nation’s "common and unifying language."

The provisions will require that immigrants seeking citizenship should demonstrate a "sufficient understanding of the English language for usage in everyday life." But they make exceptions for any language assistance already guaranteed by law, such as bilingual ballots or court interpreters. Both provisions will be included in an immigration bill that the Senate is expected to pass and send along to the House. An amendment to the bill gives temporary workers the ability to petition on their own for legal permanent residency as a step toward citizenship, on the condition that the federal government certifies American workers are not available to fill the jobs the temporary workers hold or apply for.

President Bush, visiting the Arizona-Mexico border, told reporters, "The Senate needs to get the bill out." Bush was touring an unfortified section of the border, as part of his strategy to win over conservatives who are resistant to his proposals to offer a path to citizenship for illegal workers and a new guest worker program. Bush asked Congress for $1.9 billion Thursday to increase the number of border patrol agents by 1,000, and he also asked for the temporary deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops to help border patrol agents in securing the Mexican border. Bush also took advantage of his tour to endorse using fences and other barriers along the Mexican border to reduce the number of illegal crossings. The Senate voted on Wednesday to install 370 miles of fences on the border.

The debate about the two votes was heated at times. Sen. Judd Gregg, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said that the president’s request for National Guard assistance is tantamount to using money proposed for border security to pay for operational exercises. Sen. Robert Byrd, one of the top Democrats in the Senate, complained that he had suggested amendments calling for strengthened border security nine times since 2002, but the Bush administration had rejected them as extraneous spending. "If we had spent that money beginning in 2002, we would not be calling on the National Guard today," Byrd said.

Despite the complaints and criticisms, a bipartisan collection of lawmakers supporting the new initiatives is continuing to hold their ground to keep immigration reform is headed in the right direction. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of two dozen senators who voted for both English proposals, said that the vote indicates the Senate is "trying to make an assimilation statement." White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters Friday that President Bush is supportive of both measures. "What the president has said all along is that he wants to make sure that people who become American citizens have a command of the English language," Snow said. "It’s as simple as that."