On assimilation...and immigrants refusing to do so

I just found this article in the Arizona Star. It's short and to the point, and it spells out exactly what it is about many immigrants--legal and illegal--that is causing much of the backlash against them today. The overt problem: immigrants who refuse to make even the slightest effort to assimilate into our culture. We've all seen them--the women wearing the burkhas here in America, because that's that standard in the country that they left, or the immigrant who has been here for several years and made no attempt to learn English. (This is why you can't use a phone or an ATM today without being asked if you want to use English or Spanish...there are so many hispanics who won't adapt that businesses and local governments are actually catering to them and even printing ballots for our elections in their language!)

Now I welcome legal immigrants who bring skills and a strong work ethic to America. Hell, I want the best and brightest from every country because it only benefits America to have them. But dammit, when they come here, I think that it's reasonable to expect them to do as every other immigrant class has done since this country was founded and adopt our established language and adhere to our social and cultural mores. If you want to speak Spanish all day, or wear burkhas and keep your face covered all day like you used to, then please consider staying in the countries where those things are the norm. If you're here, I assume that you left those countries for a reason. And if you're here, I expect you to adapt and conform and not insist that we come around to your way of doing things. Please remember who the guest is here...and I'll give you a hint: it's not those of us who were born here!