Comment by cguess
6 days ago
This is a hiring issue, not a legal one. The US has no official language, and no language tests, so requiring English in law would be dicey to put it mildly. What if I'm hiring someone specifically to work at a Spanish language news outlet?
>What if I'm hiring someone specifically to work at a Spanish language news outlet?
Having actually worked at a Spanish language news outlet before (1 of 4 tv and radio stations in the office I was doing IT help desk work in), I can tell you that every single employee spoke English somewhere on the level of very good to near native fluency. As it turns out, knowing English (or the native language of whatever country you're in) is an incredible value-multiplier for almost every job position imaginable.
As far as language issues at my current job goes, it turns out once you hire a manager that speaks both Hindi and English (or Marathi and English, or Bengali and English, you get the picture) it doesn't matter much if the H1Bs he hires barely speak English because he can just start shouting at them in Hindi if they don't understand (even if several native English speakers are in the meeting too).
Again, this is a hiring issue, not a legal one. You want to make it against the law for your boss to hire bad managers?
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The H-1B visa is specifically for hiring "highly specialized" workers. Lack of the supposed skills that let them across the border is in fact a legal issue.
H1Bs are not hired for their knowledge of english, however you can define it. They are hired for specialized occupational skills
Skills which, with very few exceptions, are conducted in English.
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But Visa applications need to prove English proficiency already. So it's somehow neither here nor there.
> This is a hiring issue, not a legal one.
When the law specifically dictates stuff like the talent of the person, I’m not convinced you’re correct.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/desi...
EO 14224 designates English as the official language of the US.
Which is clearly illegal.
Congress would need to declare any official language(s). Moreover, by treaty and law (NALA of 1990) obligations to Native American tribes there must be more languages than merely English.
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>and no language tests
English test is a requirement for naturalization, which is governed by the same INA, which governs H1B and other visas.
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The executive branch has been instructed to act like we have an official language, but Congress hasn’t passed any law on the matter.
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That’s just an Executive Order. Executive Orders are instructions to the executive branch, not the country itself (obviously, the president doesn’t have that ability). Congress hasn’t passed a law establishing an official language in the US.
I dont think an EO can do that, so at most just executive agencies. Meaning the 2 other branches can ignore it.
I don't believe Trump's wacko EOs are binding law. Like, the Gulf of Mexico is still the Gulf of Mexico. The DoD is still the DoD.
No reason to give the fascist LARPers the respect. Just don't give the poor clerk forced to regurgitate the junk a hard time.
or DACA?
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