Leslie Villegas

1 month ago | newamerica.org | Leslie Villegas |Amaya Garcia

On May 2, Russell T. Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), sent a letter to Senator Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, outlining President Trump's recommended changes to discretionary spending for fiscal year (FY) 2026. One of the administration’s recommendations is to eliminate Title III funding—the only federal grant program specifically geared towards supporting English learners (ELs) and recent immigrant students.

2 months ago | newamerica.org | Leslie Villegas

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump and his administration have upended all aspects of the federal government, including calling on Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (ED). This executive order came on March 20, one week after Secretary McMahon instituted drastic staffing cuts and placed 1,315 ED employees (nearly 50 percent of the agency’s staff) on administrative leave.

Mar 27, 2025 | newamerica.org | Leslie Villegas

The Tennessee General Assembly is considering a bill that would authorize school districts to require parents to prove their child’s legal status upon enrollment. School districts would be authorized to charge families tuition if they cannot show proof of legal status. And ultimately, school districts would be able to deny undocumented students the ability to enroll in K–12 schools if students cannot do either.

Mar 27, 2025 | asianamericans.einnews.com | Leslie Villegas

The Tennessee General Assembly is considering a bill that would authorize school districts to require parents to prove their child’s legal status upon enrollment. School districts would be authorized to charge families tuition if they cannot show proof of legal status. And ultimately, school districts would be able to deny undocumented students the ability to enroll in K–12 schools if students cannot do either.

Mar 6, 2025 | newamerica.org | Leslie Villegas

On March 1, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) designating English as the official language of the United States. The U.S. joins approximately 180 other countries that have an “official national language,” and is now the 12th country* to name English among its official languages.