Some worry about Trump’s English-only order

By The Star Staff

President Trump has signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the U.S., the first such designation in the country’s history.

The order, which Trump signed on Saturday, rescinds a policy issued by former President Bill Clinton requiring agencies to provide assistance programs for people with limited English proficiency, according to a White House fact sheet. The order allows agencies to voluntarily keep those support systems in place.

“Nothing in this order, however, requires or directs any change in the services provided by any agency. Agency heads should make decisions as they deem necessary to fulfill their respective agencies’ mission and efficiently provide Government services to the American people. Agency heads are not required to amend, remove, or otherwise stop production of documents, products, or other services prepared or offered in languages other than English,” the order reads.

“A nationally designated language is at the core of a unified and cohesive society, and the United States is strengthened by a citizenry that can freely exchange ideas in one shared language,” the order said.

English is one of the two official languages of Puerto Rico. However, according to the Census, less than 20% of the people speak it.

English is already the official language in more than 30 states, but Trump’s executive order comes at a time when the number of people in the United States who speak languages other than English continues to grow

Trump’s order echoes a longtime campaign pledge and is a move the White House said will “promotes unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement.”

Washington Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member of Congress, said in a statement that the order “reflects a vision of American identity that conflicts with our Puerto Rican identity.”

“There will be no statehood without assimilation, and Puerto Ricans will never surrender our identity. For those of us who seek a union with the U.S. without assimilation,” Hernández said, “there is only one alternative: maintaining and strengthening the current Commonwealth relationship.”

Hernández is the president of the island’s Popular Democratic Party, which supports the current territorial status, but in Congress he caucuses with Democrats.

Statehood supporter and former Senate President Charlie Rodríguez told NBC News that “statehood does not represent the loss of our identity, nor does it represent cultural changes.”

“The statehood movement has always been clear. Turning Puerto Rico into a state is not about ceasing to be who we are,” said Rodríguez, who’s also the chairman of the Puerto Rico Democratic Party.

Some advocacy organizations say the order will hurt immigrant communities and those looking for assistance learning English.

Roman Palomares, who heads the League of United Latin American Citizens, criticized the Trump administration’s move in a statement issued ahead of the order’s official signing, according to NBC.

“Our Founding Fathers enshrined freedom of speech in the First Amendment without limiting it to one language. They envisioned a nation where diversity of thought, culture, and expression would be its greatest strength,” said Palomares.

“Declaring English as the only official language directly contradicts that vision,” he added. “America thrives when we embrace inclusivity, not when we silence the voices of millions who contribute to its success.”