Fall 2026 Issue

Embracing Diversity: Language Inclusion for a Just and Equitable Society
By Jessie Pablo, DSW, LSW
Social Work Today
Vol. 26 No. 4 P. 6

An executive order was signed on March 1, 2025, designating English as the official language of the United States. This executive order emphasizes that declaring English as the singular national language promotes a unified and cohesive society to foster a stronger citizenry through shared language. It revoked President Clinton’s Executive Order “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.” As a result, there is no longer a requirement for federal agencies to provide language assistance to non-English speakers, but this leaves discretion to agency heads.1

The determination that a nationally designated language is necessary for a unified and cohesive society1 is grounded in the misleading idea that language diversity weakens rather than enriches our national fabric.2 Rather than unify, this order will undermine the principles of equity and inclusivity, exacerbate social divisions, and hinder assimilation into mainstream culture for immigrants. The experience of integration as an immigrant is challenging, and this order removes support that was previously established.

Embracing Diversity
The United States has always been a land of immigrants, where multiple languages and cultures have melted together to create a rich and diverse society. According to Pew Research, in 2023, there were 47.8 million foreign-born individuals living in the United States, totaling 14.3% of the US population.3 There were 1.6 million more immigrants in 2023 than in 2022, following trends of a threefold immigration increase since 1970.3 Immigration plays a vital role in sustaining population growth, as fertility rates are expected to remain below replacement levels. Without immigration, the population growth is expected to start declining by 2033.4 Diversity is a strength of our nation, driving innovation and fostering resilience. Most importantly, all individuals hold value and worth, regardless of their heritage or national origin. Our own Declaration of Independence declares that “all men are created equal… [and] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”5

A Threat to Integration, Social Justice, and Globalization
As a white person, born in the United States, married to an immigrant who speaks English as a second language (ESL), I have observed the difficulties of immigration into the United States. My spouse is a fluent ESL speaker, but I have seen other immigrants who have to rely on English-speaking spouses, interpretation services, and translated documents. The jargon of bureaucracy is overwhelming, and it is easy to get lost navigating “the system.” Without the necessary supports in place, non-English speakers experience isolation. Isolation breeds psychological distress and poor mental health functioning.6,7 Poor mental health functioning may increase other social problems related to substance abuse, mental illness, unemployment, and crime.8,9 Investing resources in language support is a better use of funds than spending them to address the aftermath of social isolation.

It’s easy to recognize that English is the customary and established language of the United States, but by declaring it as the official language, this order risks creating barriers for those who do not speak, read, or write fluently in English. This policy may have unintended consequences that discourage immigrants from fully participating in society. Rather than freely exchanging ideas in common language, non-English speakers will face barriers to sharing their talents and perspectives.

Immigrants are already disproportionately marginalized due to their position in society, as most are racial minorities with lower incomes and lack English language proficiency. Challenges with integration result in feelings of alienation, depression, helplessness, and meaninglessness.7 Hardships in interaction based upon these feelings, coupled with communication difficulties, lead to a lack of meaningful relationships. They experience disadvantages when accessing essential services, including health care, education, and legal assistance, as well as difficulty navigating housing, employment, food, and transportation. This plays an adverse role in shaping health outcomes, which ultimately shape the health and well-being of the communities where they reside.10

The lack of supportive language services may increase negative outcomes for social determinants of health. In many areas, particularly small or rural communities, bilingual service providers are a rare commodity. This language barrier results in obstacles to accessing and utilizing necessary services, increasing the isolation of the vulnerable immigrant population. Promoting English as the official language risks decreasing the value of bilingual employees, eliminating the motivation for English speakers to learn another language. Language-discordant interactions will result in diminished service quality, reduced client satisfaction, and inaccessibility to critical resources, including health care, education, legal systems, and social services. Beyond that, the mental toll of attempting to navigate these complex systems without proper language support contributes to chronic stress and exacerbates existing mental health challenges.

In an economy with an increasingly globalized market, multilingualism should be considered an asset. Multilingualism is advantageous not just for the individual but benefits broader economic growth and the entire community.11 Agencies need employees who can effectively engage with customers and partners from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The science and technology industries require communication across language barriers in order to collaborate globally, share innovations and research developments, and remain leaders in advancements. With an English-only mindset, the United States risks losing its competitive edge in the global market.

Organizations should invest in programs that foster integration and social cohesion. Attention and resources should focus on initiatives that provide language education, translation and interpretation services, and establish a welcoming environment for everyone. To uphold the NASW Code of Ethics’ principle of respecting the inherent dignity and worth of the person, social workers must be mindful of individual differences and language diversity. We must advocate for these supports for non-English speakers for the betterment of our communities and global engagement.

Role of Social Workers
Social workers can serve in many roles to aid those who are most affected by this order. Social workers should step up as advocates by speaking on behalf of this population. We must advocate for expanded language service support and create multilingual resource guides to aid clients who are navigating the system without language assistance. We can advocate within agencies to continue multilingual services, despite the absence of federal mandates. We must partner together against policies that promote the reduction of translation and interpretation. Social workers have a responsibility to ensure services remain accessible, thereby upholding the NASW Code of Ethics’ principles of cultural competence and service.

Social workers can also help facilitate connections with community resources. To do so, social workers must build relationships with community providers to understand eligibility requirements and which programs are equipped and culturally competent to meet the needs of immigrants. This can help reduce the interaction fatigue between clients and service providers resulting from difficulties with communication. Social workers must also increase cultural competency to thoroughly assess clients’ needs, strengths, and available resources. In some instances, this may require more long-term case management.

Social workers serve the role of educator to foster a more welcoming and understanding environment for immigrants. This includes providing cultural competency training and trauma-informed care instruction to agencies, service providers, and community leaders. Social workers can complete a comprehensive needs assessment and educate local leaders on the challenges immigrants face, raising awareness regarding the barriers and obstacles present in their communities. Social workers can also educate immigrant populations through provision of ESL courses, as well as how to use translation apps. Other useful skills include systems navigation skills, financial literacy, employment readiness, cultural adaptation skills such as unwritten social rules, legal awareness, and health and well-being skills.

Social workers can also make a difference by serving the role of facilitator to help build meaningful connections. Human development and well-being depend on relationships, which thrive in connection. Integration success depends on feelings of acceptance, which develop through informal, intimate personal relationships. The most important factor is building relationships. Research shows relationships can be powerful, whether they are formed with individuals from the same background or from the host society.12 Social workers can host groups (therapy groups, support groups, self-help groups, educational groups, etc) and social events for immigrants and immigrant-influenced individuals.

The consequences of this order cannot yet be known, but it risks hindering immigrant integration. Isolation and alienation of non-English speakers will harm society. Social workers can play a role in helping them assimilate effectively in the communities in which they live.

— Jessie Pablo, DSW, LSW, is an assistant professor in the division of behavioral health and sciences at Indiana Wesleyan University.

References
1. Designating English as the official language of the United States. The White House website. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/designating-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/. Published March 1, 2025. Accessed March 3, 2025.

2. Castañeda E, Shemesh A. Overselling globalization: the misleading conflation of economic globalization and immigration, and the subsequent backlash. Social Sciences. 2020;9(5):61-92.

3. Gramlich J, Passel JS. U.S. immigrant population in 2023 saw largest increase in more than 20 years. Pew Research Center website. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/27/u-s-immigrant-population-in-2023-saw-largest-increase-in-more-than-20-years/. Published September 27, 2024. Accessed February 25, 2025.

4. The demographic outlook: 2025 to 2055. Congressional Budget Office website. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61164#:~:text=In%20CBO's%20projections%2C%20net%20
immigration,year%20from%202027%20to%202055. Published January 2025. Accessed March 6, 2025.

5. Declaration of Independence: a transcription. National Archives website. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript. Published May 16, 2025.

6. Bekteshi V, Kang S. Contextualizing acculturative stress among Latino immigrants in the United States: a systematic review. Ethn Health. 2020;25(6):897-914.

7. Osman F, Mohamed A, Warner G, Sarkadi A. Longing for a sense of belonging-Somali immigrant adolescents’ experiences of their acculturation efforts in Sweden. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2020;15(sup2):1784532.

8. Jones TM, Hill KG, Epstein M, Lee JO, Hawkins JD, Catalano RF. Understanding the interplay of individual and social–developmental factors in the progression of substance use and mental health from childhood to adulthood. Dev Psychopathology. 2016;28(3):721–741.

9. Faruque F, Shah GH, Bohler RM. The association between social determinants of health (SDoH) and mental health status in the US. Eur J of Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2025;15(5):87.

10. Misra S, Kwon SC, Abraído-Lanza AF, Chebli P, Trinh-Shevrin C, Yi SS. Structural and immigrant health in the United States. Health Educ Behav. 2021;48(3):332-341.

11. Giambo DA. Multilingual and multicultural education need a good economist. J Multicult Educ. 2023;17(2):139-145.

12. Hynie M, Crooks VA, Barragan J. Immigrant and refugee social networks: determinants and consequences of social support among women newcomers to Canada. Can J Nurs Res. 2011;43(4):26-46.