Unassimilated Illegal Immigrants Imperil Society, Lamm Tells Panel

WASHINGTON — The continuing wave of illegal immigrants who do not assimilate into American life threatens to create “perpetual tension and strife” between rival cultures, Colorado Gov. Richard D. Lamm told Congress on Thursday.

Unlike previous groups of immigrants, today’s arrivals come primarily from Latino countries and live in “linguistic ghettos” where they never have a chance to join the mainstream of American society, Lamm said.

“Today, they come and live their complete lives without learning English,” he told a hearing of the Joint Economic Committee’s economic resources subcommittee. “Obviously, that is retarding their ability to compete in American society.”

It is difficult for Americans to understand that today’s immigrants are not assimilating according to the traditional melting pot analogy because “we have been so blinded by the Statue of Liberty, it’s such an overpowering symbol. We have adopted this stuff on blind faith,” the Democratic governor said.

“America can and should accept people from many lands, but we have a great stake to make sure that they eventually become Americans,” said Lamm, who is the co-author of the book, “The Immigration Time Bomb: The Fragmenting of America.”

“We have a great stake to see that they speak English, assimilate into our culture--even while changing it,” he said.

Lamm said he supports sanctions against American employers who hire illegal aliens to prevent this new class of “abused labor” from driving down wage scales.