On Friday, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order to make English the official language of the United States.
“While over 350 languages are spoken in the United States, English remains the most widely used across the country,” White House officials wrote in the fact sheet obtained by Politico. “This Order celebrates multilingual Americans who have learned English and passed it down, while empowering immigrants to achieve the American Dream through a common language.”
KNX News’ Jon Baird spoke with Southern California residents about whether English should be the official language.
Ericka, who moved here 40 years ago from Venezuela, said while she didn’t vote for President Trump, she agreed with his stance.
“My thoughts are we're in America and we should speak English because when I came to America, I had to learn English,” she said. “I'm an immigrant myself. I'm a citizen now. But I do believe that this is a melting pot, and we have many people here, and we should speak this, you know, other languages as well. But it should be mandatory to speak English as a first language. I mean, that's how I feel.”
One man, however, told Baird he thinks Trump is “getting radical.”
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“I think he just wants to make a splash,” he said.
Mark, who lives in Westchester, told Baird he thinks people should be able to communicate however they want.
“That's what the Constitution is for. That's what freedom of speech is for,” he said. “And it's a melting pot. We've come from other countries.”
The executive order will allow government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether or not to continue offering documents and services in languages other than English.
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