One small point that has gotten lost is that Bush, in one of his few bi-partisan acts with Congress,effectively ended the way we treat bilingual education with the passage of No Child Left Behind Act....and the replacement of the Bilingual Education Act with the new
'English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act' which has a greater emphasis on teaching english so that it is learned more quickly than under the old Biligual Ed Act, which many saw as providing a crutch rather than an inducement.
The fact that there was no opposition to the change in policy, even among the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, is an indication that the old bilingual approach needed fixing.
Where I think many are concerned is in the heated rhetoric...from the talk of a "ghetto language" to the notion that illegal immigration in itself is a felony (illegal immigration is less than a misdomeanor) and are parasites on the system and the misconception regarding "amnesty".
I think we are all best served when we keep the discussions rational and recognize that we benefit from the best of all cultures that have contributed to the country and we should ensure that future immigration is legal and fair, with no stigma on language and culture of one's nation of origin.