Capitol Hill Blue Forums Life and Moral Issues Crime & Punishment Illegal Immigration and Appropriate Penalties

Rick: That study also says that migrants (and the December study is an economic study of migrants) believe that language is the major cause of prejudicial behavior against them. I'd agree.

All I've ever said on this basis is that the language you hear someone speak does not prove a good indicator of their legal status. I visit an ESL classroom on a regular basis, and I can tell you that when they're on break, any two students with a common native language will speak that native language. It's easier. And in that classroom I'm thinking that most are probably legal.

How do I know? I don't. But I can take a guess by the kind of work they do, the companies they work for, their willingness to talk about themselves. In some cases, I've seen their paperwork.

I can guarantee that these students, in the grocery with their families, speak Spanish until it's their turn at the checkout stand.

I can also tell you that one of these students was in an accident, hit by a local woman (the local woman was at fault.) The at-fault driver laughed when asked for insurance papers, saying "what are you going to do, call the cops?" The student said, yes, in fact, I am, and did so. The at-fault driver was stunned to find out that the driver who spoke thickly-accented, poor English, was in fact here legally and had no problem with calling the police.

What I'm saying is that if you judge individuals by statistics you will be doing both the individual and yourself a disfavor.

It may be appropriate to say that a Mexican immigrant new to the country is unlikely to speak English. But that does NOT mean that someone speaking Spanish is likely to be an illegal immigrant. It doesn't work in reverse.