Trump delays multilingual emergency alerts for natural disasters, prompting criticism in LA County

A congressmember from California on Tuesday urged the head of the Federal Communications Commission to move forward with a plan to implement a new wireless emergency system across the country that would alert people in multiple languages.

U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragán — a Democrat whose district includes Carson, San Pedro, Bellflower and other communities — sent a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr Monday requesting that he immediately publish implementation requirements for the Multilingual Wireless Emergency Alert.

The change would require mobile service providers to install templates on Americans’ phones enabling alerts to be translated into more than a dozen languages.

An estimated 2.5 million L.A. County residents are classified as having limited English proficiency.

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The FCC voted in January to approve the new requirements. The final step is to publish them in the federal register. But Carr, a Republican who supported the new requirements, has not done that.

The reason, Barragán said, is that President Donald Trump has placed a freeze on all new regulations pending White House review.

“This should not be political,” Barragán told a news conference outside the Carson sheriff’s station. “It's about saving lives. It's about helping our first responders to make sure our community gets the information they need.”

In March, Trump signed an executive order making English the official language of the U.S.

“There is no doubt there is a concern that this is a president who made an announcement and made English the official language,” Barragán said. “It makes you wonder whether there is a role being played on the people who rely on the translation are people who have been immigrants.”

LAist requested comment from Carr through the FCC. The FCC did not immediately respond to that request.

The requirements received unanimous support from the FCC. Commissioner Anna Gomez, who joined Barragán at the news conference, called the delay “confounding.”

“We were well on our way to help communities have communities they need to stay safe during an administration,” she said. “But since the change in administration… the FCC is holding back the process that would begin the use of these life-saving tools.”

The new requirements would mean emergency alerts would be translated into Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Arabic, French, Korean, Russian, Haitian-Creole, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Italian and American sign language. American sign language would be a video.

During the Palisades and Eaton fires, alerts were sent out in English and Spanish only.

“As we see an increase in natural disasters such as wildfires, floods and hurricanes, expanding access to life-saving information is becoming more and more important,” Gomez said.

Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes also joined Barragán: “This is about fairness. It's about preparedness. And it's about keeping people safe.”