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Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Tuesday, February 19, 2008

A diversity training invitation for Drazkowski

By The Winona Human Rights Commission | Guest view

The Winona Human Rights Commission would like to invite state Rep. Steve Drazkowksi to diversity training.

English is not the only language in a diverse world, nor is English the only language spoken in a diverse country and state.

Drazkowski expressed his concerns in an opinion column Feb. 6 about the budget difficulties in our courts. As our representative in the Legislature, he should have that concern.

He is also concerned about the high cost of administrative services within the court system. This is a legitimate concern. Among these costs is the cost of interpreters for those who don’t speak English or do not speak English well.

Drazkowski seems to be proposing that non-English speakers no longer receive the assistance of an interpreter within the state court system unless they bear the cost of interpretation themselves.

The Winona Human Rights Commission is concerned about such a proposal because it stands in direct contravention of existing law, specifically the United States Civil Rights Act, a

law that requires an interpreter be provided in this setting.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act is the “Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons.” For guidance, see www.hhs.gov/ocr/lep/revised lep.html.

The United States is a nation of immigrants, and immigrants are welcome here whether Polish or Irish, Korean or Mexican.

Obviously, we all want an immigration policy in which our country’s needs can be met with the proper flow of immigrants in a controlled and legal manner. So, instead of working to exclude immigrants, we believe that the better policy is one, similar to that recently advanced by President Bush that would make it easier for immigrants to come to the United States to work.

Elaine Chao is the United States Secretary of Labor and an immigrant from Taiwan. She has summarized the problem in a press release published Feb. 6

“There simply are not enough U.S. workers to fill the hundreds of thousands of agricultural jobs that are available in this country,” she said.

Drazkowski seems to be saying that most immigrants in this country are here illegally. There are some that are here illegally, and that is a problem that needs to be solved on a national level. To presume that most immigrants are here illegally is simply inaccurate.

Instead of making things more difficult for these people, our government should work to make things easier for them. This is because, without these immigrants, our economy would be in worse shape, not better.

The United States Civil Rights law makes clear that in this country, providing an interpreter is a proper role for government in settings such as the courts.

Equal access to justice is important for all and a value upon which our country has thrived over the centuries. This is a value that our country must continue to embrace, not whittle away.

Our country and our state are prosperous. Part of that prosperity is due to those

who are willing to move great distances to join in our economy and in our work ethic.

We should use that prosperity to properly fund a court system that is now in need.