Miami Area Repeals Law That Made English Official Language

After an impassioned hearing that lasted almost six hours and was conducted under bomb threats, a county ordinance that prohibits the official use of any language but English was struck down here Tuesday by a unanimous vote of the 13-member Dade County Commission.

Repeal of the controversial “English only” law, in a city where Latinos are a majority and native English-speakers are a statistical minority, was no surprise. Even before the debate, a majority of the commissioners indicated that they backed repeal.

Neither was it a surprise when proponents of the English-only amendment vowed to challenge the commission’s decision in court. “There are 150 ethnic (groups) out there, and I’ll be damned if we are going to spend money just for Spanish-speakers,” said Enos Schera, vice president of Citizens of Dade United.

The Dade County ordinance was enacted 13 years ago in a backlash reaction to an unprecedented wave of 125,000 Cubans who poured into Miami during the 1980 Mariel boat lift. Repeal, said Osvaldo Soto of the Spanish-American League Against Discrimination, “puts an end to an area of alienation and divisiveness.”

The law designated English as the official language of Dade County while allowing for several exceptions, including voter information, elderly services and emergency 911 calls. And the law in no way prevented people from speaking whatever language they choose at work, at home or on the streets.