“Why Aren’t You Speaking English?”

A texas senator asked a man speaking Spanish during a committee testimony.

During committee testimony this week in Austin, a Texas senator interrupted a Spanish speaker and telling him he should "be speaking in English" during a committee hearing.
Antolin Aguirre of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition was testifying against Senate Bill 9 that would help crack down on illegal immigrants in Texas. Aguirre spoke through an interpreter even though he had been in the U.S. since 1988.
Two minutes into Antolin Aguirre’s testimony, Sen. Chris Harris, a Republican from Arlington, interrupted asking Aguirre’s interrupter, "Did I understand him correctly that he has been here since 1988?" Harris asked. "Why aren’t you speaking in English then?"
Read more: www.ktrh.com...

Personally I believe the Senator is absolutely correct in his questioning. The lazy [snip] testifying should have learned English by now.

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Seriously? You have been in the country for 23 YEARS and you still feel more comfortable speaking Spanish? You're either LAZY or STUPID or both.

I think I'd have to intentionally avoid any and all effort to not at least pick up enough to get by after living in a foreign country for over 20 years.

It's like these kids who get all the way through High School illiterate. How the hell did they avoid learning to read for that long?

theres a saying ' when in rome, do as the romans do ' im in the uk and we got the same trouble with every nationality of the EU flooding our tiny island!!

wana live here then learn our language simple as that!!

Who's paying for the interpreter? If this is like most court cases and such, then a person has a right to an interpreter to be paid for by the taxpayers. How backwards are we? We allow DMV tests to be taken in Spanish, we supply interpreters for all legal and I believe health-related matters, etc.

Exactly what is the incentive to learn English? Our signs in stores, products, all have both Spanish and English. We have enabled all immigrants, legal or otherwise, to avoid having to learn English. You can shop, work, go to court, pass a driving test, and apply for benefits -- all without having to speak English.

The immigrants are not to blame in my opinion, we are for allowing such accommodations and then expecting people not to use them. Eliminate the dual language support, and people will be forced to learn Englush. I think it's kind of ridiculous that we offer free ESL classes in most states paid for by taxpayers, but then we also pay for the conveniences in case they don't speak English. And people wonder why we are all broke.

I try to learn the native tongue for every country I live in. It's only a common courtesy. I have also studied Spanish for several years, beginning in grade school. I speak Spanish when I visit countries where that language is predominant. While in the United States, I greet Spanish speakers with a blank stare, despite usually understanding what they say to me.

He was here for 22 years and still won't try English? How pathetic.

who say he don't know how to speak English?

he don't want to speak in the court and he is using interpreter...

if that is his right, we shouldn't blame him.

Maybe the lazy snip knows English, but chooses to speak Spanish. You know because it is a free country and there are lots of non englsh speakers in Texas?

More from the story that the OP failed to share with us:

"Through his interpreter, Aguirre said Spanish is his “first language and since it is his first time giving testimony he would rather do it in Spanish.”

“It is insulting to us,” Sen. Harris fired back. “It is very insulting. And if he knows English, he needs to be speaking in English.”

No Sen. Harris, here is what SHOULD be insulting and IS insulting to a REAL American: that you have such little respect for a concept in our constitution called Freedom of Speech. That you choose to represent your constituents through bleating ignorance at a man exercising his rights under said constitution.

The insult is that an elected politician thinks it is ok to Bully someone like this. The insult that Sen. Harris thinks he can pick and choose which parts of the constitution he wants others to have access to.

Damn right this is insulting. And it disgusts but does not surprise me.

this guy just refused to assimilate, the way he emphasized family towards the end makes it obvious he hes trying to live in his own spanish bubble in america. speaking any language besides english in the US should be enough for the local law enforcement to question your citizenship.

after 23 years you should be comfortable enough to give a testimony in the language of your residing country.

He knows English but is more comfortable speaking his "First language". The Senator is correct in his questioning. It is the liberal, politically correct coddling that is crumbling the foundation of this country, among others. Do you know what I do not live in France? Because I cannot speak French. If I needed to live in France, I would certainly learn the language of my host! Failure to do so is simply indicative of ignorance, laziness and a false impression of self-importance.

Im Spanish (Barcelona) and absolutely agree with the Texas Senator.

I feel the same way here too sometimes. And that of course applies also to all those Dutch, German and English retired residents who after 15 years here cant produce a basic two-sentence speech.

Why does it seem to only be Hispanics that either cannot or will not learn English when they come here? My Japanese neighbor speaks at least enough English for us to have a conversation. I'm yet to meet a Chinese immigrant who couldn't communicate in broken English at least. Same with Middle Eastern immigrants. And Africans you can usually talk to in English, French, and their Native language (if it's not French).

Mexicans in particular radiate this air of ignorance about themselves..

I see this all over here in Florida.

Many people who are here are older and refuse to speak English. They feel we should learn Spanish, uh sorry no you learn English and then I might consider Spanish. My sisters bf's family is like this esp his mother. She has been here for over 20yrs and still doesn't speak English and gets upset that nobody speaks Spanish and feels they should know it. Another friend of mine her husbands family is like this as well. His sisters aren't bad about it but his parents and extended family are.

Sorry but if you are in this country for that long there is no excuse other than refusal to learn the language. IF I lived somewhere for a month I could get along just fine. I learned a few basics while in Italy for three weeks, if I had an extended stay there I would have picked up enough conversational Italian to go out on my own.

I don't know why it is so hard for these people to learn English when they come here. They want the "dream" but refuse to speak the majority language of the country they move to. If I moved to any country I'd make it a point to learn their language and I wouldn't expect them to learn mine before I learned theirs!

To me it's about respect and they don't seem to have it.

The language issue has been a hot one for years in the US, where there are those that state that one language or the other should be the primary language spoken. The question should be, where does this man work, and does he work. After all in most job and job sites, there is a standing rule that it has to be a language that every one can understand, or else it is an act of hostile work environment.
But beyond that, the rep did have a point, this is a hearing on immigration and it was insulting to the immigrants and the people trying to run the state and countries for him not to speak English and to have been here for so long. It sends a message out, and one that is not said, but it does that they are unwilling to be citizens of the country, by refusing to speak any other language but their own in any sort of official capacity. If he has shown up and spoken English, perhaps it would have given people pause to think about the legislation that may impact immigrants to the US, showing the country that there are those who want to be here in the country and are willing to abide by the rules and laws of their new home. To do otherwise, is just insulting. And the message that is being sent out is that we are here, but are not going to learn the language or be a part of the country.

reply to post by Rockpuck


My wife is Japanese, and while living in Japan I never once spoke to her using English, except when she wanted help with her ESL studies. Since moving back to the United States, I have never once had a conversation with her in Japanese. She does not expect it.

Originally posted by tamusan
I try to learn the native tongue for every country I live in. It's only a common courtesy. I have also studied Spanish for several years, beginning in grade school. I speak Spanish when I visit countries where that language is predominant. While in the United States, I greet Spanish speakers with a blank stare, despite usually understanding what they say to me.

He was here for 22 years and still won't try English? How pathetic.

He knows English, and it is his constitutionally protected right to speak in any language he sees fit. There is NO official language in the melting pot.

reply to post by hotbakedtater


That's fine. I understand Spanish in any country except for the United States. That's also my right.

The US has no official language.

There is no reason for this man to learn or speak English if he doesn't want to, especially if he lives in an area of the USA where Spanish is the predominant language.

So many of you people will go on and on about ''personal rights'', yet you want to restrict those supposed ''rights'' if the person in question doesn't conform to your narrow idea of how those ''rights'' should be expressed.

Behave yourselves.

Originally posted by sdcigarpig
If he has shown up and spoken English, perhaps it would have given people pause to think about the legislation that may impact immigrants to the US, showing the country that there are those who want to be here in the country and are willing to abide by the rules and laws of their new home. To do otherwise, is just insulting. And the message that is being sent out is that we are here, but are not going to learn the language or be a part of the country.

I am a 42 yr citizen of America. Can you enlighten me as to the rules and laws that pertain to language? Thanks!!

Originally posted by tamusan
reply to post by hotbakedtater

 

That's fine. I understand Spanish in any country except for the United States. That's also my right.

Of course it is your right, where did I discuss your rights? I am talking about all citizens, what each individual citizens choose is their right, thanks for agreeing with me. Our choices define us as people.