Tancredo Says He's Boycotting Univision Debate

By: David L Miller
Topics: Tom Tancredo

(GETTY)

Give Tom Tancredo credit for one thing: When it came time to decline the invitation to attend this Sunday's Republican debate on Spansh-language channel Univision, he didn't opt for the flimsy "scheduling conflicts" excuse. Instead, he's saying that the very idea of a debate in Spanish is un-American.

"It is the law that to become a naturalized citizen of this country you must have knowledge and understanding of English, including a basic ability to read, write, and speak the language," Tancredo said in a release. "So what may I ask are our presidential candidates doing participating in a Spanish speaking debate? Pandering comes to mind."

Tancredo, whose campaign is centered on a hardline stance against illegal immigration, didn't go as far as saying speaking Spanish itself is a bad thing, but did say that it shouldn't be part of this race. "Bilingualism is a great asset for any individual but it has perilous consequences for a nation," he said. "As such, a Spanish debate has no place in a presidential campaign."

The Colorado congressman elaborated further on his decision in a Thursday op-ed in the Miami Herald, in which he said the debate tells recent legal immigrants that learning English isn't a priority and is disrespectful to those who have come to the U.S. from Spanish-speaking countries, writing "Is it not a little bit insulting to our new citizens who were born in Cuba or Mexico or Peru to suggest that political debates need to be translated into Spanish for them to understand what is going on?"

The decision makes sense politically: Tancredo's views on immigration would have made him a top target at the Univision debate, especially after the ad he unveiled this week that suggests illegal immigrants are responsible for bringing gangs into the U.S. who are "pushing drugs, raping kids, [and] destroying lives" – a statement that a large majority of the debate's Hispanic audience would see as inflammatory, and maybe even offensive. In other words, Tancredo would have nothing to gain and a lot to lose by attending.

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by gbozic1 December 10, 2007 3:21 PM EST: Kudos to Ron Paul for having the "Kahunas" to address the issue that it''s time we have Dialogue and Trade with Cuba. The people in Cuba would be better off and as a result the world would be better off. Leadership takes guts and although Tancredo made a statement with his denial of this invitation it will only hurt him that he is not facing the people of the country whether we speak English or not. Yes it should be in English but that''s another battle we have to take on...; Reply to this comment


by dlc208 December 10, 2007 5:42 AM EST: yeah me too...right now I support Paul b/c his overall vision but kudos to Tancredo for this...what are they doing debating in Spanish???; Reply to this comment


by americangrl2 December 10, 2007 3:35 AM EST: I apologize to all for my multiple posts. I did not know It was posting so many times; Reply to this comment


by americangrl2 December 10, 2007 2:50 AM EST: I am a first generation American born to LEGAL immigrants from El Salvador. My first language was Spanish yet I firmly believe that English should be the official language of this nation and I further think that it is insulting to all other cultural groups in this country that debates are held in Spanish but not in any other foreign language. Immigrants must learn English and must respect our American culture.; Reply to this comment


by americangrl2 December 10, 2007 2:50 AM EST: I am a first generation American born to LEGAL immigrants from El Salvador. My first language was Spanish yet I firmly believe that English should be the official language of this nation and I further think that it is insulting to all other cultural groups in this country that debates are held in Spanish but not in any other foreign language. Immigrants must learn English and must respect our American culture.; Reply to this comment


by americangrl2 December 10, 2007 2:48 AM EST: I am a first generation American born to LEGAL immigrants from El Salvador. My first language was Spanish yet I firmly believe that English should be the official language of this nation and I further think that it is insulting to all other cultural groups in this country that debates are held in Spanish but not in any other foreign language. Immigrants must learn English and must respect our American culture.; Reply to this comment


by americangrl2 December 10, 2007 2:48 AM EST: I am a first generation American born to LEGAL immigrants from El Salvador. My first language was Spanish yet I firmly believe that English should be the official language of this nation and I further think that it is insulting to all other cultural groups in this country that debates are held in Spanish but not in any other foreign language. Immigrants must learn English and must respect our American culture.; Reply to this comment


by americangrl2 December 10, 2007 2:46 AM EST: I am a first generation American born to LEGAL immigrants from El Salvador. My first language was Spanish yet I firmly believe that English should be the official language of this nation and I further think that it is insulting to all other cultural groups in this country that debates are held in Spanish but not in any other foreign language. Immigrants must learn English and must respect our American culture.; Reply to this comment


by americangrl2 December 10, 2007 2:45 AM EST: I am a first generation American born to LEGAL immigrants from El Salvador. My first language was Spanish yet I firmly believe that English should be the official language of this nation and I further think that it is insulting to all other cultural groups in this country that debates are held in Spanish but not in any other foreign language. Immigrants must learn English and must respect our American culture.; Reply to this comment


by tessies101 December 9, 2007 10:22 PM EST: Something else I do not understand is why would the Hispanic community be offended if a Presidential Candidate spoke about illegal immigration the way Tancredo does. Illegal immigration is a CRIME and should be punishable by law. I am also outraged that this is being held in Spanish, the legal immigrants are required by our laws to speak English, so why would this debate that is for American Presidential Candidates be in Spanish. The majority of Americans speak English.; Reply to this comment