You see, according to the Orlando Sentinel (10/28/09), there is apparently no law stating that you need to know the English language in order to be able to drive there. This is where Ernestina Mondragon, who has accused the police of citing her for “being a non-English speaking driver” comes in.    She was originally pulled over for making an illegal U-turn while driving her daughter to school back on Oct. 2^nd. 

Hector Flores, who was the former president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, exclaimed “It’s unbelievable. It’s (here it comes, guys… everyone’s favorite phrase!) racial profiling. She was cited for driving while Hispanic. For driving while immigrant.” 

Ms. Mondragon also stated to the Dallas Morning News that “I felt I’d been looked down on and discriminated against”.

Right… as if making an illegal U-turn, failing to present a license, and being unable to understand the officer had absolutely nothing to do with the case.

But wait, it gets even better folks, this is my favorite part.

Quoting from the Sentinel; “Ms. Mondragon, who has been in the country legally since 1980, speaks mostly Spanish”.

Stop! Back up for a second. 

You mean to tell me, with a straight face, that Ernestina Mondragon has been here for for almost thirty years, and she still can’t speak English with any real fluency… and she has the nerve to complain about being cited for “driving while Hispanic”?

Once upon a time, I would’ve said that this was unbelievable, that neither Ms. Mondragon’s or Hector Florez’s complaints could be taken seriously.   Unfortunately, I’ve seen or read about so many incidents like this, that it’s no longer out of the ordinary.

I can only wonder what would happen to Ms. Mondragon if she needed medical attention after a car accident, and she was unable to communicate with the EMTs.

I imagine they’d be sued because they didn’t speak Spanish.

I’d like to remind her, along with her supporters, that while you can speak in any language you wish in this country, the majority of the U.S. speaks English. You’re going to need to learn it if you want any real chance of success here. I can’t help but wonder what job she has now with her limited language skills. 

I’m also going to go out on a limb and assume that she uses her daughter as her translator. I’ve seen with my own eyes at least three occasions where Hispanic mothers, unable to speak English, would use their young children to interpret for them, one of them couldn’t have been older than 6 years old. On another occasion, the parents of a 12 year-old girl were using her to translate a complicated financial matter with a bank teller. The poor kid was trying her best, but it’s difficult enough to explain matters that complicated to a native English speaker, let alone having to ask a little kid to try to explain them in Spanish.

You don’t see that happening with natives from other countries. Probably because since none of our services, television or radio stations are in their languages, they have more of an incentive to learn English quicker. Not so with Spanish speakers. Latinos can safely seal themselves off in their own little worlds, and never need to even learn basic English phrases.

Alright, a quick disclaimer is necessary here…

Not all Latinos have trouble learning English, or seal themselves off in their own little worlds. Most of them handle the English language quite well. 

There, had to get that out before I get accused of painting all Latinos with a broad brush.

Another thing… don’t try to argue with me about how the first settlers in America (in Florida) spoke Spanish, so therefore, the earliest language spoken here was Spanish. I’ve seen this tactic used several times before. Our laws are written in English. So is our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. 

Oh, and don’t even try pointing out that drivers do not have to know English under Dallas law, that’s not what this column is about. The law is stupid, but until the citizens of Dallas do something about it, that’s just the way it is.

While English is unfortunately not the official language by law, it is so in the minds of most Americans, native born and immigrants alike. Individuals like Ms. Mondragon, as well as race-based groups such as the likes of the League of United Latin American Citizens need to stop expecting us to bend over backwards to accommodate them, and start integrating in with the rest of us. There is no longer any excuse for not learning English, or any other language for that matter. Language courses are available in books at the library and all over the internet; many of them are available for free. 

Take advantage of them. Not only will you be better off for it, you’ll probably avoid situations like the above in the first place.

Now how much do you want to bet that I’ll be accused of making racist comments?

Sources:

Dallas ticketed non-English speakers: Orlando Sentinel, Section A9, 10/28/09