When I first visited the United States as a six-year-old boy, I was astonished by everything I saw. The cars, the technology, and the abundance. I'm not exaggerating. As a kid, I felt like I was traveling to the future. Those memories stayed with me long after I returned home to Venezuela.
Years later, as my country descended into tyranny and economic collapse, I found myself asking a simple question: What made America different? Why wasn't the country where I was born – Venezuela -- as free and successful as the country I had visited, America?
That question changed my life. Long before I had to escape Venezuela, I immersed myself in America's founding principles. Then, after Nicolás Maduro's regime falsely accused me of terrorism, I knew there was only one place I could choose to be: America. No one handed me a welcome package. No one explained the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Like millions of legal immigrants before me, I had to discover those things on my own.
I knew America was worth choosing. I wanted to understand why.
That's why I've been so surprised by the recent controversy over educational materials provided to refugees. A New York Times story portrayed efforts by PragerU and the Trump Administration to introduce newcomers to America's history and civic values as something politically suspect rather than something any welcoming nation should naturally provide.
The criticism misses a simple point. Helping legal immigrants understand the country they have chosen isn't just beneficial. It is indispensable. If America is to remain exceptional, we, as newcomers, must understand what made it exceptional in the first place.
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For years, the federal government has funded orientation programs that teach refugees practical skills for everyday life. New arrivals learn how to navigate public transportation, open bank accounts, find employment, and adapt to American customs. If we believe those lessons help people integrate successfully, why wouldn't we also want them to understand the Constitution, freedom of speech, religious liberty, and the principles of individualism and self-government?
America is the only nation founded not on blood or ethnicity but on an idea. What has united generations of Americans is a shared commitment to American values: liberty, equality before the law, and personal responsibility. It is the belief that government does not exist to make you happy, but to protect your God-given right to pursue happiness. Those values are what transform people from every corner of the world into fellow Americans.
Some critics hear the word "assimilation" and imagine the loss of culture or identity. I hear something entirely different. Assimilation means understanding the civic traditions that bind Americans together, while continuing to celebrate the customs, languages, and histories that make each immigrant's journey unique. America has always welcomed people from every nation because it asks us to unite around shared principles, not shared ancestry.
That is why civic education should never be viewed as political. It is an invitation into the American story. A newcomer who understands why the Constitution limits government, why freedom of religion protects every faith, and why the rule of law matters is better equipped to become an engaged citizen, a better neighbor, and ultimately a stronger American. Those lessons benefit not only immigrants, but every community we join.
Embracing American values and assimilating into American society does not require immigrants to erase their heritage. It means adding a new identity to the one they already possess while embracing the civic culture that makes America unique. I remain proud of where I came from, but I am equally proud to call America home.
As a permanent resident, I can't wait for the day I take the oath of citizenship. It will be the greatest privilege of my life. When that day comes, I won't simply be pledging allegiance to a flag or a government. I'll be affirming my commitment to the enduring principles that transformed a frightened refugee from Venezuela into someone who once again believes that freedom, opportunity, and human dignity are worth defending.
Every immigrant who chooses America deserves the chance to understand those principles. They are the very reason so many of us chose America in the first place.
Franklin Camargo is a Venezuelan-born political scientist, personality at PragerU, and co-author of After Socialism, Liberty.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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