Trump signs executive order declaring English as official U.S. language
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an executive order that establishes English as the official U.S. language, while also revoking a decades-old requirement for federal agencies to provide language assistance to non-English speakers, according to the White House.
Trump’s executive order rescinded an executive order signed by former President Bill Clinton in 2000 that directed federal agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to improve access to services for those who are limited with their English proficiency, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.
It’s the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to curb resources for immigrants, from suspending funding for legal aid services to terminating contracts with organizations that handle refugee resettlement services in the United States.
The U.S. has never had an official language, mostly because of its multiracial demographic that stems from nearly 250 years of immigrants arriving from across the world.
However, 32 states have passed their own laws making English, along with some Indigenous languages in some cases, the official state language.
Campaign issue
While on the campaign trail, Trump was critical that the U.S. does not mandate English as the official language. Congressional Republicans have also introduced legislation throughout the years to designate English as the official language.
Republican Ohio freshman Sen. Bernie Moreno introduced legislation earlier this month to make English the official U.S. language. Ohio does not have an official state language.
Anabel Mendoza, communications director of the immigration advocacy youth group United We Dream, said in a statement that the executive order targets “Black and brown immigrants and communities who speak different languages.”
“We mean this with all disrespect, no gracias,” she said. “Trump will try to use this executive order as a crutch to attack schools providing curriculum to immigrant students in other languages, gut programs and roles that help to promote inclusive language access, and embolden immigration agents to single out and harass individuals who speak a certain way.”
A nation of many languages
There are more than 350 languages spoken across the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Some of the most widely spoken languages in the U.S., other than English, include Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Arabic. There is also a large population of people who speak Indigenous languages such as Navajo, Yupik, Dakota, Apache, Keres and Cherokee.
Some states have multiple official languages, such as Alaska, South Dakota and Hawaii, which all are home to many Indigenous people.
In Alaska, English and 20 Alaskan native languages are the official state language. They are Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup’ik, Alutiiq, Unangax, Dena’ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich’in, Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian.
In South Dakota, English and Sioux are the official state languages. And in Hawaii, English and the Hawaiian language are the official languages of the state.
Puerto Rico also has two official languages, Spanish and English.
The more than 30 states where English is the official language include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
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