Experts: U.S. must help immigrants assimilate

Another report that shows that our country does not help immigrants assimilate as much as it should. Many seem to think it is automatic, but it is very difficult, and without help, it takes 2-3 generations to accomplish. DP

By Tyche Hendricks, Chronicle Staff Writer

The United States has one of the world's most generous immigration policies, but it has done too little to help new immigrants fit into society, scholars and advocates say.

Now, at the end of President Bush's eight years in office, a federal task force he convened is echoing those concerns, saying, "Government can do more to help newcomers learn English, learn about America and promote integration across our nation."

On the eve of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, with immigrants arriving in high numbers and anxiety in some quarters about a fracturing American identity, the issue is pressing, but some observers wonder whether Obama will take up the issue or put it behind more urgent concerns.

"It's a roadmap for future administrations on how to strengthen the assimilation of new Americans," said the report's lead author, Alfonso Aguilar, in his final days as chief of the Office of Citizenship at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The report, "Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century," released late last month, noted that "while immigration is a federal responsibility, immigrants do not settle in the federal sphere, but rather in cities and local communities."

Many examples in San Francisco bear that out. At the Chinatown campus of City College, thousands of immigrant adults attend classes in English and civics each week, preparing for their citizenship exams. The scene is repeated at eight other campuses around the city, where vocational classes also teach immigrants and others job skills to help them join the American workforce.

In San Francisco and across the Bay Area and the nation, community colleges and adult schools are on the front lines helping foreigners become full participants in American society, but they're stretched to bursting.

"We always have waiting lists," said Joanne Low, Chinatown campus dean. "Our funding formula results in us getting less money each year for civic participation."
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