To get to the US there are a lot of countries one has to pass. We are bordered by only two other countries. Many places can offer the new beginning many immigrants want. There are many places where safe, comfortable, livings can be made and they can have a family.
One of the curious things is that many people pass up the hundreds of other places they can go instead. There is a mutli-thousand mile trek across South and Central America en route to the USA.
The only reason people are risking their life for that journey is because they want to capitalize on the very generous immigrant/refugee social welfare the US offers.
They often aren't learning English either or if they are it isn't there express purpose for being here like you said. They are actually forming their own parallel societies and not assimilating with mainstream society.
I can tell you right now, as someone who lives in Texas, the immigrant population of Mexican/Spanish people REALLY are not trying to fit in.
It’s so bad we have “Spanish Billboards, Spanish ADs on TV/Raido”, and even when I was going to school, they would always print a “Spanish Language” side on the back of all the papers I had to take home.
I’m a firm believer in immigrants learning English, I know its not easy learning a new language, but there are so many opportunities to learn (From programs being held in communities, and there was always a ESL classes for people to take in High School and in College), and even people I’ve met in life, wether they be from Mexico or not, learned English and can speak it.
It just feels like we are pandering to those who don’t wish to learn, and I’ll admit, it legit irritated me when I heard kids in High School speaking Spanish, it’s like: “I live in America, why do I have to heard this stuff?”, and I actually had a “language barrier” problem because the customer who was trying to pay for her groceries, kept putting the number in wrong when it asked for her pin, and she got mad at me. I just don’t get how someone can be okay not being able to read English when paying for groceries.
I know there can be problems and circumstances for people not choosing to learn English, but I just feel like the people who came into the USA properly actually care about the USA, and not the illegals who get in because they want better jobs, taking away jobs for people that need them.
I try to be calmer and not judge, for it is not right for me as a Christian to judge, but man is it hard. I’m not racist, I just don’t like people being lazy and taking advantage of how in Texas, we basically “bend over backwards” to where they never need to learn English. Yes I was on food stamps for a bit, but I finally got off of them and I don’t plan on being on them again, hopefully. But it still bugs me how immigrants can chose to not accept the help we have for them, I understand for illegals because if found out they get sent back, as far as I’m aware, but it’s something I need to pray about, clearly, lol.