Puerto Ricans worry about new Trump order designating English as official language

The president's upcoming executive order making English the official U.S. language reignites a debate over what changes could take place in the Spanish-speaking U.S. territory, especially if Puerto Rico becomes a state.

News that President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would for the first time designate an official language for the country — English — has stirred concerns among Puerto Rican officials and advocates about what this could mean for Puerto Rico, a Spanish-speaking U.S. territory.

According to a White House official, the order will rescind a Clinton-era mandate requiring agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. Still, agencies will be able to keep current policies and provide documents and services in other languages as needed, but the designation seeks to encourage "new Americans to adopt a national language that opens doors to greater opportunities."

While the White House official didn't specifically comment on how the change would impact Puerto Rico, the order would give agencies the flexibility to decide how and when to offer services in languages other than English. It also states that the intention behind the new designation is “unifying the American people."

Though Spanish and English are the official languages in Puerto Rico, Spanish remains the main language of the island's government and its public affairs. In schools, the established language of instruction is Spanish, but English is a mandatory academic course under the local education system. It's estimated that only a quarter of Puerto Ricans living on the island are fluent in English.

Rep. Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico's nonvoting member of Congress, said in a statement that the order "reflects a vision of American identity that conflicts with our Puerto Rican identity."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-worries-trump-english-official-language-rcna194249

---