Steve Cammarota, executive director of the Center for Immigration studies, tells us that illegal immigrants will continue to financially drain the US taxpayer and projects the costs into the future. These costs are great, but this is a man whose studies do not take into account the educational revolution that could take place (and I expect will take place) in the Hispanic community. Every Hispanic community like Washington Heights, Hempstead, and Brentwood needs GED posters and GED marketing for the businesses that Hispanics patronize. We need famous people on those posters to attract attention to the dangerously low level of education of that community. By doubling or tripling the number of GED’ s and leading people on to higher education, we can show that Steve Cammarota is wrong. This is where the immigration movement all of these years has failed the people they serve. I repeat that we need a doubling or tripling of the number of GED’s. Get started now in promoting GED. Steve Cammarota tells us that immigrants are taking jobs away from young people. Employers do look for mature workers and maturity is something that may hurt our youth.
Education is an important component of immigration. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services provides information in several languages, but Hazelton, Pennsylvania wants English only. America is divided. GED and English language acquisition are important to immigrants and to any future legalization; and GED social studies includes many of the questions that people must answer to become citizens. We must educate the immigrants and the opponents of the immigrants to make this a much better country.
My grandmother died an immigrant after living in New York for more than sixty-five years. She loved America and its Spanish speaking immigrants. She told me her favorite singer was “Jackie Wilson.” She told my mother “everyone should learn Spanish.” She came here at the age of eleven and never attended school in the United States. Obviously her English was far from the best, but she was my grandmother, the woman who raised me, and she was a “great American (without being a citizen).
The panelists agreed that all immigrants must begin to get ready for citizenship. They must get all of their papers in order and not be left behind as many were when immigrants were granted amnesty decades ago. Consul General Jaime Buenahora of Colombia asked all Latinos to unite. And I ask all people to unite with the millions of undocumented or illegal immigrants.
A SMALL (LOW) PERCENTAGE OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE DONE THE GED ALL THESE YEARS. THAT IS WHY WE MUST AGGRESSIVELY PROMOTE THE GED IN HISPANIC COMMUNITES.
GED must become part of every immigrant and educational conference in the United States. It is that important!
MARTIN N. DANENBERG
7 BLAZER DRIVE
ISLANDIA, NY 11749
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631-348-1341
www.geocities.com/gedhotline - www.ahorre.com/ged - www.ahorre.com/noticias
