JACL Statement on Executive Order Designating English as the Official Language of the US

March 3, 2025

For Immediate Release

Seia Watanabe, VP Public Affairs, swatanabe@jacl.org

Matthew Weisbly, Education Programs/Comms Manager, mweisbly@jacl.org

On March 1st, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Designating English as the Official Language of the United States,” proclaiming English as the official language of the United States. The executive order also rescinds the nearly 25-year-old EO 13166, requiring any institution receiving federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. 

Contrary to the executive order, our nation has always been one with a plethora of languages spoken by our people. According to 2022 Data from APIA Data, 27% of Asian Americans and 22% of Japanese Americans reported speaking English less than “very well”. Many AANHPI elders and newly arrived immigrants rely on multilingual resources to access healthcare, legal assistance, education, and emergency services. The undoing of language access will have far-reaching consequences for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. 

Without these critical language assistance services, language barriers will increase the risk of miscommunication in medical settings, limit economic opportunities, and create obstacles to civic engagement. Rolling back language access will also contribute to greater disparities in education, as students from non-English-speaking households struggle to navigate a system that may no longer provide essential support. Voters with limited English proficiency may have difficulty participating in elections. 

This executive order furthers the racist concept that non-native English speakers are less American or perhaps even un-American. While many recognize and understand that English is the primary language spoken in this country, that does not mean cutting off access to government and other public services to create different classes of citizens based on English proficiency.

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The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.