In order to promote what he says is unity, a shared American culture and consistency in government operations to create a pathway to civic engagement, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States on March 1.

The order allows government agencies that receive federal funding to choose whether they will continue offering documents and services in languages other than English. 

Students seem to have split opinions about the potential impact of this executive order, however, which rescinded an executive order signed by former president Bill Clinton in 2000, requiring support systems for non-English speakers.

Sophomore Ivanka Kumar, who is fluent in several languages including Ukrainian and Russian, said she has seen a similar movement to create an official language in Ukraine.

“In Ukraine right now, there is a push going toward promoting Ukrainian as the national language, and that unifies the people of the country,” Kumar said. “That does not mean any other language is banned. Moreover, at the same time, it promotes national identity.”

Kumar said Ukraine’s movement makes her less inclined to see Trump’s executive order as a threat to other languages.

“If there would be a ban on speaking other languages, then, yes, it’d be problematic,” Kumar said. “However, in this case, I just see it as something official like singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ or waving the American flag.”

However, a senior, who asked that their name not be used because of immigration concerns, said the executive order contradicts the US’s history of immigration and erases its linguistic diversity.

“The United States was built on the idea that immigrants came in and they spoke many different languages,” the senior said. “Limiting it to one language totally goes against the idea of the United States as a whole because this country is for the immigrants, and everyone here was an immigrant unless they were native.”

Kumar, though, said having an official language is a standard practice in many countries.

“Whichever country you go to, it usually has things in its native language,” Kumar said. “If you go to Spain, you see things in Spanish. You go to Mexico, you see things in Spanish. If you go to Ukraine, Ukrainian. I see this as something just possibly to promote our national identity, because, let’s be honest, the majority of the United States speaks English. That’s what we’re taught in schools. That’s the only difference this makes, is it makes it official.”

According to Pew Research Center, 72% of U.S. adults agree with Kumar, saying it is somewhat or very important for the U.S. to make English its official language.

Chinese teacher Tsailing Haislmaier said she doesn’t believe the executive order was necessary since English is already widely spoken in the U.S. She also said having the guarantee of federal documents in her native language would help her better navigate society.

“When it comes to the text, they have a lot of different terminology that would affect me, so I would prefer to have different options for me to understand the policy or the application better,” Haislmaier said.

President Clinton’s original executive order mandated the government and organizations that received federal funding provide extensive language assistance to non-English speakers, including offering an interpreter during important conversations or hearings.

Haislmaier said the new executive order could increase the likelihood of non-native English speakers not fully understanding documents they might sign.

“Because of the language limitation, they might not even be able to ask for help,” Haislmaier said. “So it’s better if they have an offer or have somebody explain first, then they would understand what kind of rights they have — it’d be better.”

Additionally, the anonymous senior said the policy sends the message that non-English languages are less valuable.

“It’s very, very widely known that parts of the U.S. speak so many languages, like Spanish, French, Chinese and so many others, and I think this policy is making a show that all these other languages are being discarded, while only prioritizing English as the main language,” the senior said. “It would go against the reality of the globalized world, and it would go against the millions of immigrants’ values and not recognize them.”

The senior also said this order adds to the social pressure non-native English speakers like herself feel when trying to assimilate.

“Especially over the last few years, we’ve been feeling more suppressed and not speaking our own language and being able to communicate only one way,” they said.

The senior also said the policy creates an additional burden for non-native English speakers living in the U.S.

“Kids like me, immigrants like me, would really have trouble adapting to this change,” they said.

However, Kumar said she thinks regardless of the executive order, learning English is necessary for immigrants to adapt to life in the U.S.

“Although you should preserve your own culture and your own language, once you move to a foreign country, you should learn the language,” Kumar said. “There are countries that have one single language as the official language, and that does not mean they ban other languages. They can still promote it internally, like learning foreign languages within our public schools.”

Editors’ note: The Campanile granted anonymity to a source in this story using guidance from The Student Press Law Center’s Student Media Alert released on April 4.