Aaron, please keep in mind that the USA is already a multilingual country and always has been. The English-speaking Pilgrims were preceded by many peoples here and, as a matter of standard law, the founder languages of the preceding peoples have full legal status.
Thus, native American languages like Cherokee have full legal recognition. So does Hawaiian in Hawaii, and French in Louisiana and Maine.
So, in fact, does Spanish, which preceded English throughout the whole territory of the USA in Florida (St. Augustine) and New Mexico (Santa Fe). Spanish in particular has full legal equality with English dating all the way back to the Mexican-American War in the Southwestern states. This was an especially bloody and painful war and it remains a black mark in relations between the Anglo and Latino peoples. (Similar in Florida, for different reasons.) Therefore, based on a variety of agreements and also simply to maintain some harmony in light of a fractious history, Spanish in states such as California, Texas and Arizona enjoys status as an equal to English. Spanish is categorically *not a foreign language* in the USA, it is one of the native tongues in an enormous swath of the nation.
Things may be different in some other regions. But in Southwestern states (and in Florida), double-language teaching, using Spanish at a fundamental level, is entirely justified, consistent and indeed necessary based on the region’s history and laws that date back all the way to the Mexican War and its consequences. This is a reality of our history and society that we have to recognize.
Besides the legal imperatives, there’s also simple economics– anyone in a state like California who doesn’t learn Spanish, is frankly a fool. It’s been a part of this state’s history since before it even became part of the USA, and Spanish is always fundamental to the cultural fabric of the SW states.
