HERE is an attempt to sort out interests in the immigration morass. l. President Bush aspires to make headway on matters that appeal to his conservative constituency. Beginning on the cultural front, he wants Mexicans who cross the border intending to live here to seek integration by learning English. The prospects of success here are poor for first-generation immigrants. Not only will they arrive speaking only Spanish, they will gravitate to centers where others who speak only Spanish are concentrated. The second generation will evolve towards speaking English but only if educated in single-language schools. Only the third generation will be fluent in English. All of which means that not much political satisfaction can be got in the short term by stressing this goal.
2. An effort to fortify the border between the U.S. and Mexico is required, but its importance will be symbolic. Bush’s proposal to assign 6,000 National Guardsmen to the scene is done on the understanding that their assignment will be administrative in nature. In so limiting their duties the government would guard against violating the traditional missions of armed agents. Those in armies fight wars. Those in constabularies apprehend lawbreakers.
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