Rep. Gill Files Bill Requiring English for Naturalized Citizens
A Texas congressman introduced legislation to eliminate age-based exemptions from English requirements for U.S. citizenship, arguing a shared language is needed as migration threatens assimilation.
Representative Brandon Gill (R-TX) unveiled the English Language Proficiency Act on Thursday, which would remove long-standing exceptions that allow certain older applicants to bypass English proficiency and civics examination standards during naturalization, according to Breitbart News.
The legislation does not prohibit the use of foreign languages in American homes or communities, but instead seeks to ensure that all naturalized citizens possess the linguistic tools necessary to participate fully in civic life and integrate into the national fabric.
Restoring Equal Standards for All Applicants
English is the common tongue that holds American communities together, Gill stated, emphasizing that the bill would apply existing legal standards equally to all applicants regardless of age.
Under existing naturalization law, applicants aged 50 and over who have maintained lawful permanent resident status for at least 20 years are exempt from English language requirements. Those 55 and older with 15 years of permanent residency receive the same waiver, while applicants over 65 with 20 years of residency benefit from additional accommodations on the civics examination.
Gill’s bill would eliminate these age-based carve-outs entirely, requiring all prospective citizens to meet identical English proficiency and civics standards. The legislation imposes no new requirements beyond what already exists in federal law for the majority of applicants.
Mass Migration Undermining Linguistic Unity
The timing of the English Language Proficiency Act reflects growing concerns about assimilation amid unprecedented levels of foreign language use in American households, as Breitbart News reports.
Department of State data from 2026 reveals that the number of Americans speaking a language other than English at home has nearly tripled over three decades, surging from 23.1 million to 67.8 million. This represents a shift from one in ten households to one in five.
Beyond Spanish, which remains dominant among non-English languages, Chinese is now spoken in 3.49 million American homes, representing 5.2 percent of households using foreign languages. Tagalog accounts for 1.7 million speakers, Vietnamese for 1.5 million, and Arabic for 1.2 million.
The scale of this demographic transformation has created communities where English fluency is no longer necessary for daily life, removing a key incentive for linguistic integration that previous generations of immigrants experienced.
Bipartisan Immigration Hawks Back Reform
The legislation has drawn support from conservative immigration enforcement advocates in Congress, with Republican Representatives Randy Fine (FL), Barry Moore (AL), and Beth Van Duyne (TX) signing on as cosponsors.
Outside groups including the Immigration Accountability Project and Pro English have also endorsed the measure, viewing it as a modest but meaningful step toward reinforcing citizenship standards and national cohesion.
By removing special exemptions rather than creating new barriers, Gill’s approach frames the debate around equality under the law rather than restrictionism, potentially broadening its appeal among lawmakers concerned about the civic implications of large-scale migration without shared language capacity.
With information from Breitbart News
