Services that receive federal funding will no longer be required to provide assistance to non-English speakers. Donald Trump is signing an executive order officially designating English as the official language of the United States. The order also rescinds a federal mandate that requires agencies and institutions that receive federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers, potentially limiting access to a broad range of public services.
Agencies will still be allowed to provide services and documents in other languages, but the executive order intends to encourage non-English speakers to learn, according a White House document shared with The Independent. The document recognizes that more than 350 languages are spoken in the United States, but English “has been the language of our nation” since its founding. More than 30 states have passed legislation adopting English as an official language.
The order, first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Friday, argues that a national language promotes a sense of national identity, unity and a “pathway for civic engagement.” The order “celebrates multilingual Americans who have learned English and passed it down, while empowering immigrants to achieve the American Dream through a common language,” according to officials.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than three-quarters of Americans only speak English at home, though millions of Americans also primarily speak Spanish and Chinese, among other languages, while Native American communities speak dozens of languages across the country.
More than 30 states have passed legislation designating English as their official language. People who are applying for naturalization also must demonstrate an ability to read, write and speak English. The president’s action dovetails his anti-immigrant agenda with a crusade against diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiative, including an executive order that threatens to revoke federal funds and contracts over inclusive materials.
Trump is also deploying federal law enforcement agencies to investigate, arrest and detain people living in the country without legal permission, including ramping up deportation flights and reserving the military prison at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for immigrants marked for deportation.
While many federal agencies and state and local governments have moved to make services more accessible to non-English speakers over the last several decades, congressional Republicans have tried, unsuccessfully, to pass legislation that would make English the national language.
