The Trump administration continues to show hostility to international students and multilingual learners of English, as they freeze funding, threat to deport, and designate English as the official language of the United States. How does all this affect the lives of those currently living, working and studying in the US today?
The freeze
Back on 13 February, the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) paused funding of all programmes, affecting more than 10,000 domestic and international students participating in international exchange programmes. These programmes include:
- The Fulbright Scholarships
- The Gilman Scholarships
- The IDEAS Program
- The Critical Language Scholarship Program
There is currently no indication of if, or when, funding will be reinstated.
Of the students affected, more than 3500 are abroad, and another 7400 are international students in the US, according to ICEF. As well as worries from students about paying for food and rent, the ECA funding also pays the salaries of professionals employed in scholarship and exchange programmes, whose jobs may now be at stake.
NAFSA, and other international education bodies, have now started a joint campaign to urge Congress to restore funding as soon as possible.
‘The freeze on State Department grant programs threatens the survival of study abroad and international exchange programs that are essential to US economic and national security,’ said executive director and CEO of NAFSA, Fanta Aw. ‘Halting inbound and outbound exchanges shuts the United States off from a vital flow of ideas, innovation, and global understanding and influence, creating a vacuum that could easily be filled by competing nations.’
Mark Overmann, executive director of the Alliance for International Exchange added: ‘Paralyzing ECA-funded exchange programs endangers the health, safety, and future of the more than 12,500 Americans who are either abroad right now or soon will be […] The many US organizations that support these programs and its participants are now in a dire financial position, putting thousands of American jobs and livelihoods at risk.’
What about the First Amendment?
On Tuesday, President Trump threatened to halt federal funding for colleges and universities that allow ‘illegal protests’.
What exactly the President considers an ‘illegal’ protest is unclear. The right to peaceful protests is protected by The First Amendment. However, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, a protest may become unlawful if they block access to sidewalks or buildings, disrupt counterprotests, or engage in speech that is obscene, makes knowingly false statements of fact, or incites immediate violence or dangerous disturbances.
If such a policy is enacted, it could heavily impact institutions that rely on government funding. According to Newsweek, there is concern that this could pressure colleges and universities to suppress student activism and restrict First Amendment rights.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) opposed the President’s message, calling free speech at colleges a ‘proud American tradition’:
‘Trump’s message this morning, combined with other recent executive orders threatening punishment for protected speech, is deeply chilling.
‘The president can’t force institutions to expel students. Students are entitled to due process on public college campuses and, almost universally, on private ones, too […] President Trump needs to stand by his past promise to be a champion for free expression. That means for all views — including those his administration dislikes.’
Make America Multilingual Again
On 1 March, Trump signed an executive order making English the official language of the US, a move that has proven to be highly unpopular.
At the same time, the order rescinded another signed by Clinton in 2000 that directed federal agencies and organisations that receive federal funding to improve access for those with limited English proficiency.
The US has never had a national language in its entire history, due to its multicultural beginnings, with immigrants arriving from around the world. However, 32 states have previously passed laws that make English the official state language, while others have multiple official languages, including indigenous languages.
Anabel Mendoza, communications director of the immigration advocacy youth group United We Dream has said the order unjustly targets ‘black and brown immigrants and communities’:
‘Trump will try to use this executive order as a crutch to attack schools providing curriculum to immigrant students in other languages, gut programs and roles that help to promote inclusive language access, and embolden immigration agents to single out and harass individuals who speak a certain way.’
In a statement, TESOL said the move leads to ‘discriminatory practices against multilingual learners of English’ and that it ‘creates barriers’ for the millions of multilingual learners of English in the US:
‘TESOL dispelled the myths supporting the designation of English as the official U.S. language in its 2005 Position paper on English-only Legislation in the United States […] Today, TESOL remains steadfast in this position. These myths remain just as relevant in our current context as they were twenty years ago. Designating English as the official language of the United States will not promote unity, empower multilingual learners of English, or promote a cohesive and efficient society. TESOL is committed to ensuring that all have fair and equal access to public services, regardless of one’s home language. This EO stands in stark contrast to our nation’s rich and vibrant multilingual and multicultural past, present, and future.’
Their full statement can be found here.
