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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 1999
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Contact:
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Tim Schultz
800/787-8216
202/833-0100
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TEXAS TOWN DECLARES ITSELF AMERICAS FIRST "SPANISH-ONLY CITY"
In a move that has gained national media attention, the South Texas town of El Cenizo declared that all city government business would be conducted in Spanish only. Even though the area has not been part of Mexico for over 150 years, Mayor Rafael Rodriguez, who speaks no English, flies the Mexican flag in city hall, and declared that Americans who come to his town will need to learn Spanish.
"This type of separatism is exactly what U.S.ENGLISH has been warning about for 15 years," explained Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman/CEO of U.S.ENGLISH. "But I fear that this is no isolated incident. Unlike earlier generations of immigrants, who understood their responsibility to become Americans, many new immigrants from south of the border refuse to adopt an American identity and refuse to speak our common language."
El Cenizo, a border town of 1,500 located 10 miles downstream from Laredo, has also declared itself a "safe haven for illegal immigrants," pledging to fire any municipal employees who help the U.S. Border patrol apprehend undocumented immigrants. The city government has also offered to provide services to English speaking citizens, but only with 48 hours notice.
"This is what happens when the federal government refuses to patrol the border and politicians pander for the so-called Hispanic vote," Mujica continued. "Let me be blunt: It is simply un-American for an American town to declare a Mexican identity. This small town has national implications. If Governor Bush doesnt deal with this appropriately, he risks losing the support of millions of Americans who rightly view this separatism as a bad sign for the future unity of America."
U.S.ENGLISH is the nations oldest, largest citizens action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa, U.S.ENGLISH now has more than 1.3 million members nationwide.
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