A new Rasmussen poll out today shows that a comprehensive immigration plan that includes English as the national language would get more support than a plan that doesn’t have a language requirement.
According to Rasmussen, 61 percent of Americans would support an immigration reform plan that establishes English as the national language and imposes stricter punishments on employers who knowingly hire illegals (E-Verify), versus the 59 percent who said they would support a plan that secures the border and allows illegal immigrants to remain in the country.
Already, 31 states, including Arizona, California and Kansas, have passed legislation naming English as the official language.
Of the three immigration reform ‘plans’ currently on the table — President Barack Obama’s, the Gang of Eight’s and Rand Paul’s — only Paul makes mention of officially making English as the national language (it is currently the de facto national language).
It’s doubtful most Americans know that the measure isn’t even in the two leading immigration reform proposals on the table in Washington. Paul hasn’t actually proposed an immigration bill, but on his Senate page under the immigration section, the Kentucky Senator states, “I support making English the official language of all documents and contracts.”
But as my colleagues and I discussed today, what does that even mean? What would making English the national language even do? Aren’t all official U.S. documents and other materials already printed in English?
Practically, such a requirement would have zero effect on society. School books, laws, legislation, street signs and ballots are already in English. Are that many Americans actually concerned that English is in danger of becoming the minority language in America? And what’s to stop Congress from passing legislation down the line establishing Spanish as the national language, too? (In Canada, both English and French are official languages; the United Kingdom has six other official languages besides English.)
Evidently enough Americans are concerned about English becoming the minority language to make support for immigration reform tick several points higher when it is included in proposed legislation. But given that the majority of Americans already support immigration reform, including a populist proposal like English as the official national language — which could scale back support for reform from some communities — is unnecessary and Republicans should avoid falling into this trap.
