Frederick News-Post: Frederick Co. debates official language

April 23, 2008 - 7:45am
The Frederick County Commissioners are considering whether to designate English as the official county language.

Commissioner Charles Jenkins, a Republican, proposed the ordinance last week. It would require that all county documents be in English.

They are scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to hold a public hearing for possible passage.

This is the latest of several proposals by Jenkins and other Frederick County politicians aimed at illegal immigration, and Jenkins said there will be more coming. He plans to propose a local employment law to reduce illegal immigration, he said.

His previous attempt to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving county benefits, like public education and library use, failed.

Jenkins fears that non-English speakers will demand translations of lengthy government documents like comprehensive plans or solid waste management evaluations.

"I want to be proactive and have a policy in place that says if there's going to be anything written that we produce, it would be in English," Jenkins said.

Commissioner John L. Thompson, Jr., a Republican, supports the legislation, so Jenkins needs only one more vote to send it to public hearing.

Commissioners President Jan Gardner, a Democrat, said she would support designating English as the official language, but would not support an ordinance that prevents county departments from using other languages.

"I think we should encourage people to learn the English language, but I wouldn't want to be prevented from providing written instructional materials to English language learners," Gardner said.

She also believes the county should be able to use other languages for public health or safety reasons.

Jenkins hopes to limit the amount of money spent on services for non-English speakers. He has objected to mandates for interpreters in schools and jails, and wants to draw the line before the county incurs more expenses for translation.

He does not believe the proposal would affect documents prepared through programs with state funding, like materials for foreign language classes in schools or some health department programs.

Currently, the county translates some documents, such as an ad about the Head Start early education program and information on health services. Funding for those translations are not specifically set aside in the county's operating budget.

Jenkins does not favor any ordinance that only offers a ceremonial designation and would not prevent translations of county documents.

His proposal has the support of Help Save Maryland, a group that urges lawmakers to protect the state against the "negative effects of illegal aliens."

Steven R. Berryman, the Frederick County coordinator of Help Save Maryland, said the group believes citizenship should be earned.

"It needs to be a privilege to be a citizen in the United States, and with privileges come responsibilities," he said. "One of the costs of admission to the U.S. should be learning English, as the teachings of America are found in the English language."

The onus should be on immigrants coming to the country to follow the laws and learn the language, rather than on the county taxpayers, he said.

But not translating could be more expensive in the long run, said Maria Shuck, a Spanish interpreter and the coordinator of the Limited English Proficiency program at Frederick Memorial Hospital.

She said the county should encourage the use of qualified interpreters and translators, especially in the legal, medical, social service and educational arenas. It can be difficult to learn a foreign language, and even after a few years of classes and immersion, technical terminology and cultural nuances can remain foreign.

"In my personal opinion, I think when groups get together to demand that a law be passed to make English the official language, it's really more of a mechanism to make some kind of anti-immigration statement," Shuck said.

Copyright 2008 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.by Meg Bernhardt @ The Frederick News-Post

ABC News 7: Commissioner Demands Illegal Immigrant Count in Schools

A Frederick County commissioner wants to count how many illegal immigrants are in the schools, even though federal law requires counties to give all kids an education, so he's turning to the county's school-aged kids.

With 42,315 students in Frederick County schools, Commissioner John Thompson wants to know how many of them are legal residents of the United States. The school board president thinks it is a bad idea, but the commissioner is threatening to withhold some school funding until he gets an answer.

The proposal basically says, if you want to look at a community and understand illegal immigration, look at people's children. "Are they lawfully in the country, or are they not?"

Commissioner Thompson said he wants the schools to count how many students are illegal immigrants, hoping that information will help the county make future laws and influence federal immigration laws.

"The only way you're going to get reform in Washington is from the bottom up, grass roots up."

School Board President Daryl Boffman said the schools don't have that kind of information and he's worried what happens if the county commissioner gathers it. "Is he planning to take these kids out of the school system, go into the homes and deport the parents? What is he intending to do with that [information]?"

Immigrant Lucy Nobel said, "I don't know how they're going to go to schools and say are you legal here? I think it's unfair."

One parent said some kids at her first grader's school have classes in the hallway and the lunchroom. She thinks the commissioner has the right idea. "I think they need to do something because the schools are getting way too overcrowded," said parent Nicole Goodwin.

Commissioner Thompson said the school proposal is just one in a series meant to address illegal immigration. On Thursday, the county is scheduled to vote on whether English should be the official language.

NBC4: Anti-Illegal Immigration Groups Join Forces

Anti-Illegal Immigration Groups Join Forces
Chris Gordon Reports
Activists oppose lawmakers and groups that they say support illegal immigrants.

Click here to watch video

Frederick NewsPost: Legal immigrants: The forgotten people?

Legal immigrants: The forgotten people?

By Don Kornreich

When was the last time you heard about something being done just for legal immigrants?
The New York Times has reported that San Francisco is starting an advertising campaign aimed at a specific target group: illegal immigrants. The advertisements will be in various languages, but all will carry the same message: "You are safe here." The mayor's campaign is fully supported by the police chief who said "We do not work on enforcing immigration laws, only public safety to prevent crime."

San Francisco is, after all, a sanctuary city. The mayor and city supervisors want to assure illegal immigrants that San Francisco will not report them to federal immigration authorities. Instead, the city's approach will be to thwart the application of -- and to the extent possible, nullify -- federal immigration laws and enforcement programs, thereby bestowing a special status on illegal immigrants along with providing them various taxpayer-funded services.

To be fair, most cities (including San Francisco) do provide assistance to legal immigrants, including those who want to become naturalized U.S. citizens. Naturalization is the process by which a person who has legally immigrated to the United States can acquire citizenship, after fulfilling the requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

These requirements include residency and physical presence in the United States; a knowledge and understanding of U. S. history and government; good moral character; attachment to the principles of the U. S. Constitution; a favorable disposition toward the United States; and, an ability to read, write, and speak English.

Turning to Frederick, a March 31 FNP article concerning teaching English to immigrants describes the efforts of various local public and private institutions to improve English speaking skills. The article makes it clear that the programs are available to all immigrants. One administrator said: "We don't ask questions about immigration status, we accept everybody."

However, in addition, the article asserts that "Many immigrants are now nervous about driving in Frederick County, since the sheriff's office trained some deputies to enforce federal immigration laws." Just who are these "nervous" immigrants: those who are here legally and learning English to improve their ability to become part of our evolving society and vibrant culture; or, those who are here illegally and not partaking of our society and culture, but, nonetheless, availing themselves of myriad entitlement programs and services?

It is time for those, whether in the city government of San Francisco or the public and private institutions of our city and county, to accept that immigrants fall into two very different categories: legal and illegal. Those who are here legally should be helped to assimilate into our society and culture and attain (when sought) U. S. citizenship, including learning to read, write and speak English.

Furthermore, legal immigrants should not be lumped together with illegal immigrants to satisfy some political or other agenda. Those who seek to help immigrants, regardless of their status, have an obligation to make it clear to legal immigrants that they have nothing to fear from federal immigration laws and enforcement programs that apply to illegal immigrants.
Finally, those who choose to support illegal immigrants should not do so in a manner that is inconsistent with the interests of legal immigrants. For to do so is fear mongering, and denies legal immigrants the respect, dignity and assistance they are entitled to under our federal system of government and our laws.