Government Resources for Non-English Speakers Are Going Dark

After taking down resources for non-English speakers, the Justice Department could take more than 200 days to issue new guidance on multilingual resources.

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media
Manuel Ceneta/AP

President Donald Trump’s executive order designating English as the official language of the United States did not mandate government agencies stop offering services or materials in other languages. But across the federal government, those resources have been disappearing.

The Department of Justice earlier this month suspended its website offering resources for non-English speakers navigating the federal government, and there’s no guidance as to whether those resources are coming back.

The DOJ took down the site for limited English proficiency, LEP.gov, earlier this month after a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the agency to temporarily suspend all public-facing materials on language guidance.