Obama for America

Fact Check: Obama Regularly Says Immigrants Need to Learn English

SPEECH AT LULAC, 7/8/08, WATCH IT HERE

"We have to finally bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. It is time we did that. Now, let's acknowledge, yes, they broke the law. And they should have to pay a fine, and learn English, and go to the back of the line, behind those who have been waiting patiently. But we also have to put them on a pathway to citizenship."

DEBATE, FEBRUARY 21, 2008, WATCH IT HERE
RAMOS: Senator Obama, is there any downside to the United States becoming a bilingual nation?

OBAMA: "Well, I think it is important that everyone learns English and that we have that process of binding ourselves together as a country. I think that's very important.

I also think that every student should be learning a second language because -- (interrupted by applause) -- you know -- so when you start getting into a debate about bilingual education, for example, now I want to make sure that children who are coming out of Spanish-speaking households have the opportunity to learn and are not falling behind. And if bilingual education helps them do that, I want to give them the opportunity. But I also want to make sure that English-speaking children are getting foreign languages because this world is becoming more interdependent, and part of the process of America's continued leadership in the world is going to be our capacity to communicate across boundaries, across borders.

And that's something, frankly, that's fallen very -- where we've fallen behind. And one of the failures of No Child Left Behind, a law that I think a lot of local and state officials have been troubled by, is that it is so narrowly focused on standardized tests that it has pushed out a lot of important learning that needs to take place. (Cheers, applause.)

And foreign languages is one of those areas that I think has been neglected. I want to put more resources into it."

OBAMA POLICY PAPER
"Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens. Obama will also expand opportunities to learn English and obtain civic education classes to help immigrants assume all of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship."