NAPABA Condemns President Trump’s Revocation of Language Access Guarantees for Federal Programs and Activities

NAPABA Condemns President Trump’s Revocation of Language Access Guarantees for Federal Programs and Activities

For Immediate Release:Date: March 2, 2025

Contact:
Rahat N. Babar, Deputy Executive Director

WASHINGTON – For nearly 25 years, Executive Order 13166 required that every federal agency meet the needs of limited English proficient (LEP) individuals when it delivers critical services. It similarly required those that received federal funding, such as non-profit organizations as well as state and local governments, to guarantee that LEP individuals had meaningful access to their services. EO 13166 brought the full import of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits entities that receive federal funding from discriminating based on national origin, to life. This meant that a Mandarin-speaking LEP individual, for example, could access life-sustaining government entitlement programs or a Vietnamese speaker could receive legal services from a non-profit organization. Those guarantees are now called into question.

Yesterday, President Donald Trump revoked EO 13166 through an executive order. The brunt of setting aside EO 13166 will be borne by the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. NAPABA unequivocally condemns this action.

The majority of the Asian American community are immigrants. Nearly 32% of the community is limited English proficient. The Asian American population is comprised of over 50 different ethnicities and speak over 100 different languages. NAPABA has long championed linguistic access for AANHPI communities in the legal system, including through our groundbreaking report, which highlighted and provided recommendations on the state of language access in federal and state courts and agencies.

The executive order, which also purports to designate English as the official language of the United States without the consent of Congress, places an unnecessary obstacle for LEP individuals within the AANHPI community who need and deserve to access critical, federally funded services. We call on Congress to engage in appropriate oversight over the Administration’s unwarranted action and strengthen the protections of Title VI.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) represents the interests of over 80,000 Asian Pacific American (APA) legal professionals and nearly 90 national, state, and local APA bar associations. NAPABA is a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Through its national network, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of all backgrounds in the legal profession.

May 28, 2021May 28, 2021

AABANY Offers Application Aid to LEP Applicants Seeking Section 8 Housing and Emergency Rental Assistance

AABANY announced on May 28, 2021, that through the Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee, Government Service & Public Interest (GSPI) Committee and the Student Outreach Committee (SOC), it established a phone line to aid limited English proficient (LEP) applicants in applying for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, also known as Section 8. Section 8 is a government rental housing program that allows low-income families, the elderly and disabled to rent privately-owned and safe housing. Applicants will be selected by the New York State Homes & Community Renewal (NYSHCR) agency’s Section 8 Voucher Waitlist Lottery. The deadline for application is May 28, 11:59 AM ET. As for ERAP, the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) is offering a program that provides rental and utility assistance to eligible New York residents who owe arrears. Households will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, as long as funds remain available.

When applying for housing and aid, many LEP applicants have had difficulty finding language assistance. AABANY hopes to help LEP applicants who do not have electronic access in completing the application by telephone. Interested applicants may contact (929) 251-3022 or [email protected] to schedule a time with an AABANY volunteer to receive aid in contacting HCR and the OTDA.

To view AABANY’s flyer about the Section 8 Waitlist Lottery, click on the image above.

To read more about AABANY’s efforts to aid the Chinese LEP community, click here.

July 13, 2018December 4, 2018

December 18, 2017

Interpreting Justice: Progress and Challenges on Language Access, An Asian Pacific American Perspective 2017

For Immediate Release

Dec. 14, 2017

Download a copy of “Interpreting Injustice.”

WASHINGTON — At a briefing on Capitol Hill, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) released “Interpreting Justice: Progress and Challenges in Language Access,” a report on language access for Asian Pacific Americans with limited English proficiency (LEP).

“Interpreting Justice” provides recommendations on policies, strategies, and best practices for legal, government, and community stakeholders to further diminish barriers to language access services for Asian Pacific Americans. “Interpreting Justice” finds that while overall progress has been made in the past 10 years, LEP individuals continue to struggle with limitations on languages interpreted, costs of interpretation, inconsistent interpreter quality, insufficient language assistance inside and outside of the courtroom, and a lack of translated written materials.

“This important report demonstrates the progress federal and state courts and agencies have made in the past decade, but underscores the continued need to improve language access services for the Asian Pacific American communities all over the country,” said NAPABA President Pankit J. Doshi. “NAPABA’s language access report, ‘Interpreting Justice,’ provides an updated picture on how the federal and state courts and agencies accommodate for the fastest growing population in the United States, Asian Pacific Americans.”

The diverse array of languages and dialects, particularly among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, presents great challenges to ensure quality interpretation in both federal and state courts.“Interpreting Justice” recommends improving rules and standards for the use of interpreters, creating and providing translations of vital documents, and prioritizing appropriate training and compensation to maintain a pool of highly qualified interpreters.

Access for people with limited English proficiency in state courts progressed in the last decade, but access still varies greatly by state. More state courts and agencies have adopted language access plans or require certified interpreters, but states remain inconsistent with compliance with language access requirements. Much of the progress state and local agencies achieved for LEP individuals was the result of collaboration with advocates and community stakeholders.

NAPABA’s report also recognizes funding for language access as one of the largest barriers for LEP individuals and programs designed for LEP individuals. Federal budget cuts and the lack of awareness of language services for the LEP community creates a required increased emphasis on pursuing other forms or channels of funding, often stretching organizational capacity. NAPABA’s report recommends a number of feasible measures to counteract the underfunding.

“Interpreting Justice” builds on the work NAPABA started in 2007 with its groundbreaking report, “The State of Language Access for Asian Pacific Americans,” a culmination of NAPABA’s longstanding commitment to advance equal access to justice for Asian Pacific Americans with limited English proficiency (LEP) and widely used in creating new national standards on language access in the courts.

To access the full report, click here.

The report is a project of the NAPABA Research Institute led by the NAPABA Pro Bono and Community Service Committee. The report was released during a Congressional briefing in collaboration with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, featuring remarks delivered by Congresswoman Grace Meng (N.Y.–6), held in conjunction with the NAPABA Convention in Washington, D.C.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, 202-775-9555, [email protected]. Questions about the 2017 report may be sent to Oriene Shin at 202-775-9555, or at [email protected].

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of almost 50,000 attorneys and over 80 national, state, and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal services and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government.

NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

To learn more about NAPABA, visit www.napaba.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter(@NAPABA).