Injecting Realism Into Immigration Debate

Could the immigration debate get any more ridiculous? I don't think so. To no one's great surprise, the federal legislation went up in smoke. Now, border states like Texas are left to wrestle with the issue and all its tentacles, and we can expect more of the political grandstanding that has become all too commonplace.

Just last week, there was posturing over a dual language pilot program in Texas. Lest someone think she might actually support something other than the English language or that she might be willing to do something to help Spanish-speaking kids, Rep. Debbie Riddle, RnTomball, had to come out against the six-year pilot program just passed by the State Legislature that will test a dual language approach in up to 10 school districts. The idea is to put students who have a hard time with English together with English-speaking students and let both learn the other's language. Supporters say both groups will become bilingual and biliterate because of the immersion process, and since English isn't the first language for more than 700,000 Texas schoolchildren, it would seem to make a whole lot of sense.

But not to Debbie Riddle. She told the Houston Chronicle, "I think the purpose behind this is to help bring up to speed Spanish-speaking kids and turning other kids into guinea pigs."

If she will come over to my house someday, I can introduce her to two young students who have both participated in a Houston ISD dual language program and who have safely managed to not turn into "guinea pigs." (They can be little pigs sometimes, but that's because they're 11 and 9, not because of the dual language program.)

For years, one of the most popular offerings at HISD's Mark Twain Elementary has been the English/Spanish dual language program. It's not for everyone, but for many it has been nothing short of remarkable. That's very understandable since every study shows that it's far easier to master a foreign language at a young age.

But in Debbie Riddle's world, that's completely unnecessary because, as she says, "This is not a dual language country. We speak English in this country." Really? That must come as an incredible shock to the individuals in her very own school district who speak more than 70 different languages.

The big problem with everything now swirling around the immigration debate is that it's all about politics and not about sound public policy or reality. With Lou Dobbs stoking the fire every night on CNN and the right-wing radio nuts doing their part, Republicans are scared of their own shadow. If they say anything that might sound the least bit reasonable or be steeped only slightly in the reality of the situation, they will quickly find themselves on the outs with many of the GOP faithful.

I'm not suggesting there's anything easy about the immigration issue, and I thought the something-for-everyone federal approach deserved to be a non-starter. But we have to start dealing seriously with the effects of illegal immigration here in Texas, and that's going to require folks like Rep. Riddle to move out of fantasy land.

¿Comprende?

(Originally published by ExaminerNews.com)