John Hope Bryant: “I would just point out of these people, these figures you are using of these people, they are not going to be in this…”

“I would just point out of these people, these figures you are using of these people, they are not going to be in this category that your amendment applies to anyway, No. 1. No. 2, the fact is, we have got no evidence indicating that there is a problem with regard to this category of immigrant. They come into the country and they immediately start trying to learn how to speak English. You probably heard the figures a moment ago, but the Department of Education reports there are 1.8 million people in this country in English as a second language classes. In New York City, 35 community colleges, 14 CBO's, community based organizations, are offering English as a second language, and there is a waiting list of 18 months. It is the same with Los Angeles, and I know it is the same situation in my own city of Dallas. It is not like the people are refusing to learn to speak the language. I just say to the gentleman that you are just continuing to invent these things, to bring them up, and really I think this is for this purpose of raising an issue everybody is concerned about, and that is English in the country, as opposed to addressing the practical concern, because there is just no evidence that people in these categories are coming here and refusing to speak English.”