And to add, grandma always told the story of the German side who demanded that the kids and everyone in the family learn English, once they arrived in the late 1880’s. They had declared that they were now Americans and that was it ...it was considered SHAMEFUL to speak the language of the old country.
I’m sure many families could recount a similar story.
I think we need to consider — WHO is coming here and what is their character?
IMO
Things that make a person an American:
1. Being born here of American parents or immigrating legally and being naturalized.
2. Making a positive contribution to American society. This means not expecting a free ride, not spending one’s life on welfare and other freebies funded by hardworking taxpayers.
3. Speaking English or making one’s best effort to learn English.
4. Embracing the American culture instead of expecting Americans to adapt to your foreign culture. Embracing the American culture instead of denigrating it or apologizing for it. (I’m not saying we are perfect or that there is no room for improvement. But I’m saying that if you’re ashamed of this country then you don’t belong here. You should go somewhere that you’re not ashamed of.)
And it would be a real plus if you
1. Had military service or had an immediate family member who served. Or at least supported our troops.
2. Prayed for our country.
3. At some point in your life, volunteered (unpaid) at some non-self-serving and non-political activity. (Scout leader, school trip chaperone, babysitter for someone in need, shovel the sidewalk of an elderly neighbor, tutor for a struggling student, ... )
4. Voted (once per election, then stopped after you died). It would be even better if you had some idea of what the candidates’ positions were on the major issues and you voted intelligently based on a thoughtful consideration of how those positions would affect the future of the country and not just based on what letter appeared after the candidates’ names, what race/gender/lifestyle they were, who the union boss told you to vote for, who promised you the most freebies taken from the pockets of others, or who your favorite celebrity was voting for.