The Arizona Mirror is reporting that lawmakers will likely not push this session to repeal Arizona’s English-only law. There have been bipartisan efforts to do so for the past three years at the state Capitol.
The law, which was passed by voters back in 2000, puts students who don’t speak the language into blocs of English-only learning with other English-language learners, and effectively shuts them out of bilingual education programs. It’s a model that’s been proven ineffective in decades of research since, and getting rid of it has broad bipartisan support. It just never quite comes to fruition.
This year, the Mirror reports one of the key groups that advocated for a repeal in the past, UnidosUS, is focusing instead on another issue before voters: making sure an effort to lift the in-state tuition ban for undocumented students makes it to the ballot.
Reyna Montoya has a stake in both issues.
Montoya is a DACA recipient and founder of immigration advocacy group Aliento. She also went through Arizona’s English-only program as a student.
The Show spoke with her to learn about her experience as a student and what she hopes will come of the program in the future.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to correct Reyna Montoya's viewpoint.
