Insights and Analyses

• In 2021, 24% of immigrant households in California were linguistically isolated.

• While many immigrant-headed households are linguistically isolated, a larger proportion of households headed by undocumented individuals experience linguistic isolation. Across the state, in 2021, 34% of households were headed by someone who was undocumented were linguistically isolated, compared to 26% of households headed by a lawful resident and 21% of households headed by a naturalized citizen.

• Targeted efforts for California’s diverse communities are also critical, as Latino and Asian American households experience linguistic isolation in higher proportions. In 2021, nearly 27% of Latino immigrant households and 25% of Asian American immigrant households were linguistically isolated.

• It is important to note that in places like Los Angeles County, while Black immigrant households tend to face lower rates of linguistic isolation, this community experienced a significant uptick in rates between 2020 and 2021.

• Across the state, rates of linguistic isolation among households headed by immigrants were highest in the Central Valley (nearly 33%), Monterey-San Benito (32%), Los Angeles (nearly 29%), and San Francisco-Marin (28%), according to 2019 census data. Still, the rates of linguistic isolation are notable in other regions too – 24% in Sacramento, nearly 24% on the Central Coast, 23% in the far northern region of the state, and 22% in the Inland Empire.

• Although immigrants experience linguistic isolation throughout the state, it is important to note the differences by region and race/ethnicity. For example, in 2019, rates of linguistic isolation were highest for households headed by Asian American immigrants in San Francisco-Marin (nearly 37%); households headed by Latino immigrants in the Central Valley and Monterey-San Benito regions (nearly 37%); households headed by Other/mixed-race immigrants in Monterey-San Benito (32%); households headed by White immigrants in Los Angeles County (nearly 24%); households headed by Black immigrants in the San Diego-Imperial region (23%); and households headed by Pacific Islander immigrants in the Central Coast and Monterey-San Benito regions (13%).

• In 2022, most immigrants in California were bilingual and nearly 67% reported speaking English proficiently. Among recent arrivals (immigrants arriving in the U.S. in the previous five years), 60% reported speaking English proficiently.

• Across the state, about 44% of the population spoke a language other than English at home. An 2022 analysis from a 2018 survey conducted by the Ipsos Public Affairs for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), a majority of U.S. employers report a reliance on U.S.-based employees with foreign language skills, with a significant amount reporting a high dependency, indicating that multilingualism is an important asset and resource for the United States to thrive in the global economy due to the reported foreign language skills gap.

• Given the diversity of Indigenous migrant languages in Los Angeles County, Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO) collected data and developed a story map in 2022 that highlighted the many Indigenous languages spoken in migrant communities in the County in an effort to underscore the importance of language justice and illuminate biases in data collection. CIELO’s data sample showed that more than half of respondents listed their preference for a language other than or in addition to Spanish or English, including more than 17 distinct languages under language groups such as Zapoteco, Chinanteco, K’iche’, and Ayuujk.

• In 2015, San Francisco codified a Language Access Ordinance (LAO) into law, instructing all public-serving departments of the City and County of San Francisco to provide services in languages other than English when there is a sizable share of Limited-English proficient (LEP) residents. An assessment by the Language Access Network of San Francisco highlighted areas where the LAO is falling short of providing equitable and quality services to LEP residents. The recommendations provided in the report include strengthening compliance and accountability measures and including a human-centered design approach to include community voices. A 2024 Migration Policy Institute analysis explains this issue more broadly and offers recommendations on how to adequately and effectively expand their language access initiatives across federally supported programs.

Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (CIELO) is an Indigenous woman-led organization collecting data on Indigenous migrants to visibilize their existence and diversity throughout the Los Angeles region.

Founded in 2016, CIELO provides language revitalization, economic solidarity, and COVID-19 vaccine outreach to Indigenous migrant communities. Indigenous migrants face unique social, economic, and cultural challenges, yet they are often invisibilized in the immigrant rights narrative because they are typically excluded from data collection efforts or lumped into the broad Latinx category. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, CIELO started the Undocu-Indigenous Fund, to allocate resources to undocumented Indigenous migrants in Los Angeles. As part of this effort, CIELO also collected demographic information from recipients, capturing the existence and diversity of Indigenous migrants in the Los Angeles region through a story map created with partners from UCLA titled, “We Are Here: Indigenous Diaspora in Los Angeles.” This effort by CIELO emphasizes the need to provide interpretation and translation services in the Indigenous languages spoken in California to reduce barriers that often impede Indigenous migrants from accessing basic, but vital resources.

Most recently, CIELO partnered with the USC Equity Research Institute to publish survey data collected through CIELO’s outreach events between 2021 and 2023. It is important to note that community data gathering efforts offer a distinct avenue to better understand the unique and diverse needs of Indigenous Migrant communities. Their preliminary key findings revealed that Indigenous Migrant communities reside in neighborhoods through L.A. County, but particularly in the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Moreover, at least 25 distinct Indigenous Communities that live throughout L.A. County, speak at least 36 different languages, including Zapoteco, K’iche’, Chinanteco, and Mixe—Indigenous communities may not speak English or Spanish. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, about 35% of survey respondents were considered “essential workers.” Nevertheless, following 2020, Indigenous Migrant communities face challenges in paying for necessities like food and rent. A full report on their findings is forthcoming.

While CIELO does provide informational resources in Indigenous languages through their website and social media, more must be done by public institutions like schools, hospitals, and government agencies in coordination with Indigenous migrant communities and organizations – especially after community trust was eroded by the anti-Indigenous remarks made by officials on the LA City Council and the LA County Labor Federation that were leaked in 2022. As highlighted by CIELO, engaging in language justice for the region’s Indigenous migrants is critical in creating a more welcoming environment for the most marginalized communities. However, as noted by CIELO co-founder Janet Martinez, the City of Los Angeles has not sufficiently funded efforts to improve language access to municipal services – although some City departments are working on improving language access under ED 32. Beyond the L.A. region, there is a dire need for adequate translation services for Indigenous migrants arriving at the border and those navigating immigration court proceedings.

To learn more about CIELO, visit their site here and access their story map here. To learn more about CIELO and ERI’s preliminary results, access the brief here. Read about CIELO’s work in the L.A. Times here. To learn more about the linguistic barriers that Indigenous migrants face at the border read an article by The New Yorker here.

Resources

• Organizations: 

  • Black Alliance for Just Immigration

  • Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo

  • Language Access Network of San Francisco

  • Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project

  • Respond: Crisis Translation

• Reports:

  • In Search of Equity for English Learners: A Review of the 2021-2024 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs)

  • Growing Language Skills with Immigrant and Refugee Families: Spreading and Adapting 2Gen Working Practices

  • Speaking from Experience: How the Language Access Ordinance Can Better Respond to the Needs of Limited-English Proficient Speakers Accessing Public Services in San Francisco

  • There Is A Target On Us: The Impact of Anti-Black Racism on African Migrants at Mexico’s Southern Border

  • Black Lives at the Border

• Articles: 

  • As California Expands Safety Net Eligibility for Immigrants, Community Organizations Are Playing a Pivotal Role

  • MICOP Provides Invaluable Support to Thousands of Indigenous Residents: COVID-19 Outreach is Vital for Those Who Don’t Speak English or Spanish

  • COVID-19 misinformation plagues California’s Indigenous speakers

  • Zapotec in 90006, K’iche’ in 90057: New map highlights L.A.’s Indigenous communities

  • Community Groups Serve as Pandemic Information Lifeline to Non-English Speakers

  • Here's Why California's Immigrant Communities Need Coronavirus Information in Their Own Language

• Data:

  • We are Here: Indigenous Diaspora in Los Angeles

  • Children Living in Limited English-Speaking Households