Immigrants should become Americans
By Steve King
Member of Congress representing Iowa's 5th District
September 20, 2004
Preserving our cultural continuity is essential to the future of our American
success story. Our culture is one of a multi-ethnic society, built by men and
women who emigrated from all over the world, sharing a common vision. They came
here to pursue better lives for themselves, their families, and future generations.
While many of these immigrants shared little or nothing from a cultural standpoint, they did share a love for the values that still resonate throughout the United States: free-market capitalism, religious faith, individual liberty and the idea that all are created equal and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." While emigrants from Germany, China, Nigeria and Mexico share little in common from a cultural standpoint, all of them share a love for and a faith in our American values.
The remarks I made during debate on whether banks should accept a Mexican government-issued Matricula Consular card have stirred up a rash of name-calling by the multicultural apologists. They call me names because they do not want to debate the real issues - national security and immigration - on the merits. Both the FBI and the Justice Department have said that the Matricula Consular card, which is not even widely accepted in Mexico, is insecure and subject to forgery and fraud by terrorists who exploit our vulnerabilities.
I will stand up on the floor of the House any day to keep these cards from being
used by terrorists to board airplanes, open bank accounts to fund their activities
and insinuate themselves into American society.
I wholly support an immigration policy designed to enhance the economic, social and cultural well-being of America. I am convinced that those who immigrate here must want - as did those who immigrated here over 100 years earlier - to assimilate into American culture. When they arrive, they leave behind families, friends and familiar traditions, often at great sacrifice, to become part of our land with a different language and culture. Their sacrifice indicates to me that these people do not want to be mere residents, but rather citizens. They want to join us in sharing our values of freedom, faith and family; they want to learn and become proficient in English; most important, they want to be seen not as Germans, not as Indians, not as Vietnamese, but as Americans.
Our nation owes a great deal to the immigrants who have come here with a deep desire to become Americans and join our culture. In turn, immigrants continue to repay their debt to America for the liberty and freedom that the American culture affords. We must see to it that all Americans realize the importance of promoting the values of free enterprise, religious faith, individual liberty and the belief that all are created equal. These values define cultural continuity in America. These bonds have united our country for more than 200 years, and we must continue to promote these values for the survival of our nation.