"The promise of America is one immigration policy for all who seek to enter our shores, whether they come from Mexico, Haiti or Canada, there must be one set of rules for everybody. We cannot welcome those to come and then try and act as though any culture will not be respected or treated inferior. We cannot look at the Latino community and preach "one language." No one gave them an English test before they sent them to Iraq to fight for America"
About this Quote
The subtext is a rebuke to selective nationalism. Calls for "one language" are exposed as cultural gatekeeping disguised as civic concern. Sharpton is arguing that assimilation rhetoric often functions like a loyalty test aimed at brown and Black immigrants while remaining politely optional for everyone else. His phrasing, "act as though any culture will not be respected", needles the contradiction: America wants the labor, the taxes, and sometimes the soldiers, but bristles at the visibility of the people providing them.
The closer is the line that does the real political work. Invoking Iraq yanks the debate out of abstract civics and into blood-and-belonging: Latino Americans were trusted with rifles, not required to pass an English exam to risk death under the flag. Its an argument that citizenship is already being granted in practice through sacrifice, even as it is contested in rhetoric. In Sharptons context - post-9/11 patriotism, the Iraq War, and ongoing fights over border policy and bilingualism - the quote weaponizes a simple question: if service counts, why does accent disqualify?
Quote Details
| Topic | Equality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Sharpton, Al. (2026, January 17). The promise of America is one immigration policy for all who seek to enter our shores, whether they come from Mexico, Haiti or Canada, there must be one set of rules for everybody. We cannot welcome those to come and then try and act as though any culture will not be respected or treated inferior. We cannot look at the Latino community and preach "one language." No one gave them an English test before they sent them to Iraq to fight for America. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-promise-of-america-is-one-immigration-policy-36856/
Chicago Style
Sharpton, Al. "The promise of America is one immigration policy for all who seek to enter our shores, whether they come from Mexico, Haiti or Canada, there must be one set of rules for everybody. We cannot welcome those to come and then try and act as though any culture will not be respected or treated inferior. We cannot look at the Latino community and preach "one language." No one gave them an English test before they sent them to Iraq to fight for America." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-promise-of-america-is-one-immigration-policy-36856/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The promise of America is one immigration policy for all who seek to enter our shores, whether they come from Mexico, Haiti or Canada, there must be one set of rules for everybody. We cannot welcome those to come and then try and act as though any culture will not be respected or treated inferior. We cannot look at the Latino community and preach "one language." No one gave them an English test before they sent them to Iraq to fight for America." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-promise-of-america-is-one-immigration-policy-36856/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
