In her heart, Sonia Galdamez is Salvadoran. She speaks Spanish at home and cooks Salvadoran food for her family.
But since arriving in Los Angeles nearly two years ago, she has been sworn in as a U.S. citizen and is studying English at L.A. City College.
Galdamez said she doesn't have to sacrifice her traditions, roots or language to become American.
"But in this country, really, they speak English," she said. "If I want to find a good job, I have to learn it."
Galdamez is a model for the federal government's massive assimilation campaign, which the Bush administration launched in 2006 and is continuing to expand. This spring, the government will offer a free Web-based English class to immigrants on its new site, www.WelcometoUSA.gov.
Alfonso Aguilar, chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship, said the goal is to help immigrants integrate into U.S. society, learn English and identify with common civic values and a shared sense of history.
"We cannot become a country of enclaves -- that's a recipe for disaster," he said. "There has to be a sense of community, a solidarity. . . . In the end, it's about political and social cohesion."
In the past, such assimilation efforts have been undertaken by churches, libraries and community organizations. But the sheer number of immigrants, coupled with the migration patterns that have scattered them across the country, has prompted the federal government to get involved.
Not everyone agrees that's a good idea. Some say that community groups are better equipped to lead integration efforts because they are on a grass-roots level and can tailor programs to particular immigrant communities. Others say that the U.S. should limit the number of legal immigrants it admits rather than spend taxpayer money on assimilation programs.
"The current levels of immigration are about five times higher than our tradition," said Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations for NumbersUSA, an anti-illegal immigration group. "In our view, the best way to assure assimilation is to reduce the numbers. . . . That means more resources per capita for new immigrants coming in."
Experts and groups on both sides of the immigration debate have praised the government's assimilation efforts because they can help bridge gaps and reduce tensions that occur between newly arrived immigrants and their communities.
