Professor Rosemary Salomone’s essay, “English in the Crossfire of US Immigration” has been posted on Language on the Move as part of a mini-series on the politics of language and migration.

Professor Salomone argues that the Trump Administration’s recent executive order declaring English the official language of the United States bears far more serious implications for national identity, democracy, justice and civic participation than meets the uninformed eye.

Revoking a Clinton Administration executive order issued in 2000 under Title VI of the CRA of 1964, it turns the clock back 25 years on language rights. Targeted toward immigrants and their children, it opens the door for recipients of federal funds, including state and local governments and private actors, to deny critical language services and information that assure access to medical care, social welfare services, education, voting rights, disaster relief, legal representation and citizenship.