DETROIT – President Donald Trump’s recent Executive Order declaring English the official language of the U.S. government and rescinding Executive Order 13166 is a direct attack on millions of immigrants and limited English proficient (LEP) Americans across the country. Executive Order 13166 has been a cornerstone of U.S. language access policy since its signing by President Bill Clinton in 2000, requiring federal agencies to provide equitable access to government services and programs regardless of English proficiency.
Now, the Trump administration has revoked these protections, leaving individual federal agencies to decide whether to provide language access accommodations. This shift will create an inconsistent and fragmented system, leading to confusion and unequal access across the federal government. Paired with the draconian budget cuts President Trump is demanding, this move will leave agencies with little choice but to scale back or eliminate their language access programs. At Rising Voices, we believe language access is not a privilege or a discretionary budget line item—it is a fundamental human right that ensures all people can fully participate in society.
“Language access is not just about communication—it’s about dignity, safety, and inclusion. This Executive Order is a cruel attempt to marginalize immigrant communities,” said Jasmine Rivera, Co-Executive Director of Rising Voices. “This Order is another example of the Trump administration’s deliberate actions to systematically erase and drive our communities into isolation. This recalls past exclusionary and xenophobic policies that created unnecessary barriers to accessing healthcare, education, legal, and services for the Asian American community. While the federal government turns its back on our communities, we will continue fighting to defend and expand language access protections at every level.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey in 2021, there are 25.7 million or 8% of people living in the United States who are LEP. In Michigan, we have over 700,000 Michiganders who are foreign born, more than 300,000 are LEP, and approximately 35,000 do not speak English at all.
At the state level, Michigan remains a leader in protecting language access. Thanks to the hard work of immigrant rights advocates, Governor Whitmer signed the Statewide Meaningful Language Access Coordination Act into law in 2023, requiring state agencies to provide translation and interpretation services for LEP residents. This critical legislation ensures that our communities in Michigan, particularly Asian American, immigrant, and refugee families, continue to have access to the services they need. Rising Voices remains committed to working with coalition partners to challenge this unjust Executive Order and to ensure that all Michiganders—regardless of the language they speak—are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. We encourage Michiganders to explore the translation and interpretation services available through state agencies and join us in advocating for their preservation by urging legislators to uphold and strengthen language access protections in our state.
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Rising Voices, a project of the Center for Empowered Politics, is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that seeks to increase the civic participation of Asian Americans in Michigan by developing the leadership, organizing, and power-building capacity of Asian American women, youth, and communities. risingvoicesaaf.org
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