A Big Ask on Amnesty - But Not in English

What is the appropriate amount of time for someone in the US to learn English? Three years? Five? How about 37? Nearly four decades – that’s how long illegal immigrant Margarita Cielo Balbuena has been in the country and still can’t speak the language. When she showed up to talk at a New Jersey event alongside Democratic Party lawmakers like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the alien demanded – through an interpreter, of course – amnesty for illegals who have been in America for seven years or longer. Her Spanish rant went viral, and it was not received well.

Illegal Immigrant’s Rant Received Poorly

Balbuena claims to have been detained in ICE’s Elizabeth Detention Center for two months, and to have been treated inhumanely.

"It is not just that someone like me, who has been in this country since 1989, who pays taxes, who is a homeowner, who is a business owner who gives work to others, someone who has children and grandchildren who are born in this country — that I have to suffer the psychological and physical abuse and that I also have to suffer the humiliation that is the violent arrest and detention in a detention center," said Balbuena.

Former US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commander-at-large Gregory Bovino took great exception to her rant:

"You have lived in the United States since 1989. That is 37 years. You still need a translator. At a Democratic event you stood up and demanded a path to citizenship for anyone who has been here just 7 years. Notice the arrogance. Notice the entitlement."

Bovino explained that open border policies, like those adopted during Joe Biden’s reign, have allowed so many foreigners into the country so quickly that “assimilation is no longer required.”

He wasn’t the only one furious over Balbuena’s speech. Social media was flooded with irritated commenters.

Free with the Daily Briefing

85Essays

Unravel the Constitution

Hamilton, Madison & Jay’s complete case for America, free and searchable in the Publius Reader.

Join Free & Read

Free with the Daily Briefing. Unsubscribe anytime.

“There can be no amnesty and there can be no exceptions,” the John Birch Society said on X. “All illegals must go.”

Online personality Brigitte Gabriel posted, “No English. No citizenship.”

Actor Matthew Marsden spoke out, saying, “Immediate deportation. A just country that cares about its citizens should defend it. That includes getting rid of people like this.”

And still another poster wrote, “No. Someone who wanted to be a citizen would care enough to learn the language. In any country.”

Just the Numbers

The Migration Policy Institute published a report about illegal immigrants in the country who couldn’t speak English. The statistics are from 2011, which is a while back. But the results even then – long before Biden’s open border era – were staggering. Out of a total of an estimated 9.91 million unauthorized immigrants 19 years and older, a whopping 1.8 million (about 18%) couldn’t speak a lick of English. Only 30%, or about 2.93 million, were considered fluent. In other words, just one in five migrants could speak English fifteen years ago.

The Center for Migration Studies produced a more recent report, which showed there were about 14.26 million undocumented migrants age five and older in the US in 2024. Of those, 18.8% (2.68 million) did not speak English at all and 34.4% (4.91 million) spoke the language very well. In more specific terms, about 45% of the illegal immigrant population five and older spoke no or little English. That’s almost half!

So we know millions of illegal immigrants are living in the US, but how long have they been here? According to a 2023 Pew Research article, 4.2 million illegal adults had been here for less than five years, 3.8 million had been in America between five to 17 years, and 4.3 million had been here for 18 years or longer. The Department of Homeland Security estimated that as of January 2022, 79% of the unauthorized individuals entered the country before 2010.

When it comes to speaking the language, Pew's analysis found that immigrants – legal or otherwise – who arrived before 2000 are more likely to be English proficient than those arriving since 2010 (57% versus 47%).

Learning English Isn’t That Difficult

To become a citizen, a person needs to be able to read, write, speak, and understand English, except in a couple of circumstances. Someone who is 50 or older who has been a lawful resident for at least 20 years or a person 55 or older with at least 15 years as a lawful permanent resident can get an English exemption. And for those 65 and older who have been a legal permanent resident for 20 years or more, there’s also a simplified civics test of just 20 questions rather than 100. Note, though, this doesn’t apply to those like Balbuena, who have been in the country illegally.

Regardless of legal status, people can still learn English either through free or very low-cost resources. There are free online lessons that include videos, local literacy and ESL programs, school districts offer ESL programs, public libraries have learning materials as well as English classes, and the National Literacy Directory also offers programs. Just hanging out where English is spoken will help people learn the language.

Nobody has to abandon their native language to become a citizen. But demanding American citizenship while still requiring an interpreter after nearly four decades sends an odd message about assimilation. Citizenship isn't simply a prize handed out for managing to remain inside the country's borders long enough.

Maybe that's why Balbuena's speech struck such a nerve. The debate isn't simply about whether someone deserves amnesty after seven years, 17 years, or 37 years. It's also about what America should expect from people who want the enormous privilege of becoming citizens. Learning the language seems like a pretty modest place to start.