Like so many immigrants, I came to the United States believing in the concept and style of living that Americans embraced. We new immigrants understood that if we worked hard, we could achieve whatever goal we set for ourselves.
We acknowledged that the responsibility to achieve these goals was our own.

And immigrants have been a blessing to this country. Historically, new arrivals have been willing to work hard and work their way up from lower wages and tougher jobs. But that seems to be changing.

Today, many immigrants arrive with a vastly different mindset than that of earlier generations. Many have no desire to shift allegiance to their new homeland and no plan for improving or contributing to the society that so readily welcomed them. Now, I’m afraid, many newcomers arrive asking not, “How hard can I work to get ahead?” but, “Now that I’m here, what can I get other people to do for me?” or even, “How much responsibility can I avoid?”

The trend must be reversed or this country could begin to resemble the societies that immigrants are escaping. The nation must continue to welcome and accept immigrants to its shores to ensure its ongoing health, safety and security. The future of the United States resides in immigration. People are America’s most vital resource, but the unintended consequences of prosperity have been a decline in birthrate among families who have been here for generations.

Granted, the immigrants of 100 and 150 years ago were primarily from Western and Eastern Europe, sharing a more common culture and outlook than do today’s arrivals. Immigrants today are much more diverse in terms of race, cultural values, religion and socioeconomic background. This new wave of immigrants should be bringing valuable heritages and stimulating values that become important elements of our national fabric. Unfortunately, many immigrants miss the boat and remain more loyal to their native countries than to their new home. That endangers America’s future and the American Dream.

To drive a car on America’s or any roads requires lessons and a license. Businesses invest in new employees by giving training classes so people know the job for which they were hired and what is expected of them once they are on their own to do their work. Yet the process for gaining U.S. citizenship merely has applicants passing an exam without any direction as to what to do once the test is passed.

Maintaining high standards in our society demands that we do more. To continue to welcome new immigrants and perpetuate the American way of life that attracts people from abroad, this country needs to train newcomers in what it means to be American. A mandatory Orientation Class on America (OCA) can teach the duties of American citizens so that immigrants may properly assume the rights and responsibilities of full-fledged contributors to American society.

Focusing on important civic topics including commitment to patriotism, the class should be conducted in the new immigrant’s native tongue. The content at that point is more important than the language; loyalty and understanding will spur the desire to learn English.

Investing just a few hours in newcomers could be one of the best investments this country has ever made. These classes would be used to communicate in a straightforward manner why we accept new immigrants and what we expect from them. The timing is also important factor and we require them to attend the class while the level of desire to become an American is high. I don’t presume that all participants would remember everything taught, but certainly, many immigrants would be much further along than they are now in becoming patriots and productive members of society.

I chose to be an American simply because I like America as it is. From 2002 to 2004 I served President George W. Bush as a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In this role, I became more familiar with the various immigrant policy issues we face as a nation, and I have since dedicated my work toward policy reform in this area.

New immigrants continue to add value to America through our open-door immigration policy, but we must address certain critical issues soon. A required Orientation Class on America is one step toward making that happen.