Over the past decade, migration from Central America’s Northern Triangle countries (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador) has increased, bringing many speakers of Maya and Arawak Indigenous languages including K’iche’, Mam, Ixil, Chuj, Q’anjob’al, Q’eqchi’, and Garifuna to the United States. In particular, researchers estimate that 40% of Guatemalans speak an Indigenous language. Additionally, the Southwest U.S. has long been home to Mexican Indigenous language speakers such as the Cora, an Indigenous ethnic group from the state of Nayarit. While language access in all programs receiving federal funding is guaranteed via the 1964 Civil Rights Act, U.S. government programs as well as advocacy organizations and other service providers struggle to provide interpretation services for migrants who speak Indigenous languages. This panel will discuss the experiences of directly affected individuals, service providers and interpreters who work with Indigenous language speakers in immigrant advocacy, education and cultural spaces.

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