In my neighborhood in Brooklyn, Polish speakers probably outnumber native English speakers 5:1. They can get by in English but speak their native tongue 90% of the time. They also have established businesses, are generally polite to everyone, and enroll their kids in public schools that are among the best in the city. Their kids learn English, they get along just fine, and their heritage is not completely checked at the door. There are probably around 100,000 of them in this area, about a third the size of Buffalo.
I'm not sure why these people and others like them, who work hard and fit into our society just as well as anybody else, should have to ignore their culture and background when every idiot who's ever drank a beer in this country can claim Irish heritage and wear it like a badge of honor. It's OK to claim a background unless someone else does it -- then it's time to fall in line.
For the record, I don't think Spanish should be taught as a first language in our schools, unless they're private and that's a conscious choice. But offering ESL should not be a problem, either.
I love what this country is capable of, but we should make no mistake that it was largely built on the backs of a lot of cheap and slave labor by both unwilling and willing participants. Recognizing heritage is a small concession for us to make with that in mind. Getting a tax break for being Italian-American might be a bit of a reach, though.
Short form version: this is a country of differences and I embrace that.