SPENCER MICHELS: Nine years ago, former immigration officer Robert Park lobbied the Arizona legislature to pass a bill mandating that official government business be done in English only. The bill failed, but Park and his group, Arizonans for Official English, qualified an initiative for the 1988 ballot, an amendment to the state constitution. It passed by less than 1 percent of the vote.

SPOKESMAN: (talking to gentleman) You have to be able to lift up to 50 pounds.

SPENCER MICHELS: According to Park, the measure was designed not to stop the speaking of Spanish in government offices like this job center, but rather to make sure government actions, laws, decrees, and documents be written only in English. It also declared English the official language of Arizona, a policy now embraced by 22 other states.

ROBERT PARK, Arizonans for Official English: All it requires is that anything that’s binding on the state, any law, regulation, ordinance, whatever the case may be, must be in the English language to be enforceable.

SPENCER MICHELS: Park says he worked to pass the measure because he was disturbed that high levels of immigration put pressure on the government for bilingual ballots, education, and routine business.

ROBERT PARK: Official bilingualism. It’s dangerous. It’s not what we need in this country. We’ve got enough problems with ethnic groups and other people. All we have to do is look to our neighbors to the North in Canada and see what divisions are created by official bilingualism, where you have two official languages. It’s tearing the country apart.