INTRODUCTION
Let’s get something straight before the usual guilt parade shows up:
America does not owe the world a remake of its identity.
We can be a confident, outward-facing, globally engaged country and still insist on a distinct American way of life—one built on the rule of law, a shared language, and a shared civic culture.
And no, we do not need the United States to become “mongrelized” to prove we’re enlightened.
I’m going to define what I mean so nobody pretends to misunderstand it: I’m not talking about race.
America has been multi-ethnic for a long time. I’m talking about civic dilution—turning the country into a patchwork of separate enclaves with different norms, different loyalties, different languages, and different expectations of law.
That’s not progress. That’s fragmentation. And history is brutal to countries that fragment.
A NATION OF LAWS INCLUDES IMMIGRATION LAWS
America is a sovereign country. That means we get to set our borders, our entry standards, and our citizenship requirements.
If you want to come here—especially if you want to stay here permanently—then you don’t get to treat the laws as optional or negotiable. The entire point of America is that laws matter.
Immigration is not a feelings-based program. It’s a legal process.
And citizenship, in particular, is not just “living here.” It’s joining the political community. It comes with rights, but also responsibilities: voting, serving on juries, understanding the system you’re helping steer.
That’s why U.S. law requires naturalization applicants (with limited exceptions) to demonstrate an understanding of English and U.S. civics.
This isn’t my preference; it’s in federal statute.
ENGLISH IS THE OPERATING SYSTEM
A shared language is not a “nice-to-have.” It is national infrastructure.
No shared language means:
- weaker social trust
- weaker civic participation
- higher administrative burden
- more opportunity for manipulation
- more tribal politics
English is the language of our courts, contracts, education, safety systems, and the workplace.
And as of March 1, 2025, English was designated as the official language of the United States via Executive Order 14224.
Important nuance: that order does not require federal agencies to stop offering services in other languages. It also doesn’t ban anyone from speaking whatever they want at home. It is about re-centering the national standard, not policing private life.
So yes—if you want citizenship or long-term integration, learning English is not “oppressive.” It’s the baseline expectation of joining a functioning society.
ASSIMILATION IS NOT BIGOTRY—IT’S HOW AMERICA WORKS
People love to smear “assimilation” as if it’s some dark idea. It’s not.
Assimilation is simply this:
- you keep your heritage
- you adopt America’s civic identity
- you learn the common language
- you live by the laws
- you raise your kids as Americans
That’s how a diverse country stays one country.
When assimilation is replaced by “live however you want, owe nothing, demand everything,” you don’t get unity. You get balkanization—competing sub-nations inside one border.
And once that starts, you don’t “celebrate diversity.” You fight over power.
History Proves My Point
When you compare outcomes, areas like Latin America and much of Africa haven’t matched what the United States has built—economically, institutionally, or civically.
That’s not a moral judgment about people. It’s a reality about systems.
The countries that struggle tend to share the same institutional problems: inconsistent rule of law, weak contract enforcement, shaky property rights, corruption, and political instability—things the World Bank tracks explicitly as governance dimensions because they predict whether a society can sustain safety, investment, and upward mobility.
When those foundations are weak, the ceiling stays low—no matter how talented the population is.
And that’s exactly why assimilation matters.
You don’t preserve a high-performing country by importing non-assimilation—by normalizing parallel societies, permanent language separation, and “we’re here, but we’re not really joining.” If people come to America because the American system works better, then the deal is simple: learn the civic operating system that made America work—English, rule of law, shared norms, and shared loyalty.
Otherwise you don’t get “diversity.” You get fragmentation. And fragmentation is how successful nations start sliding toward the dysfunction everyone claims they’re escaping.
WE CAN ACT GLOBALLY WITHOUT SURRENDERING NATIONALISM
There’s a modern lie that says nationalism is inherently evil.
It’s not.
Healthy nationalism is stewardship: the belief that this country is worth preserving, improving, and handing off intact to your kids.
America can trade globally, lead globally, defend allies, attract talent, and export culture—while still having a clear national identity at home.
In fact, a nation that can’t define itself can’t lead anybody. It can only apologize.
WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT FROM THOSE WHO WANT TO COME HERE
This is not radical. It’s normal:
- Come legally.
- Learn English over time.
- Respect the Constitution and American law.
- Integrate into the civic culture, not just the paycheck.
- Earn citizenship by demonstrating you understand what you’re joining—English and civics—exactly as U.S. law already requires (with reasonable exceptions).
And one more thing that needs to be said plainly:
If you move to the greatest civic-engine humans have built, the correct posture is gratitude and integration—not resentment and demands to change it into the place you left.
That isn’t cruelty. That is how you keep a country from falling apart.
WHY THIS MATTERS
A shared language and assimilation are not about being “mean.” They are about preserving the conditions that make a free, stable, prosperous society possible.
If we stop expecting newcomers to integrate—if we normalize parallel societies inside one border—we will slowly lose what made America exceptional: social trust, civic unity, and rule-of-law stability.
A nation that won’t protect its identity eventually won’t be able to protect anything else.
REFERENCES
The White House. (2025, March 1). Designating English as the Official Language of The United States (Executive Order 14224).
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (n.d.). Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part E, Chapter 2: English and Civics Testing.
U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel. (2026). 8 U.S.C. § 1423: Requirements as to understanding the English language, history, principles and form of government of the United States.
United Nations Development Programme. (2025). Human Development Index and its components (Statistical Annex table).
World Bank. (n.d.). Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of Law (definition/metadata).
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this post are opinions of the author for educational and commentary purposes only. They are not statements of fact about any individual or organization, and should not be construed as legal, medical, or financial advice. References to public figures and institutions are based on publicly available sources cited in the article. Any resemblance beyond these references is coincidental.
