After a 4-1 vote, Frederick County commissioners in Maryland adopted English as its official language last week.

Just like that, all government documents have to be printed in English and are not to be translated into Spanish except in cases involving health and safety. Board President Blaine R. Young says the ordinance sends a message.

“I believe that it sends a message that we’re not a place that condones or embraces illegal immigration,” Young says.

Raul Gonzalez, legislative director for the National Council of La Raza, agrees the ordinance sends a message – but a starkly different message than Young believes.

“It’s sending a message, he’s right about that,” Gonzalez says. “The message is, ‘We don’t care whether you’re an immigrant, an undocumented immigrant or a citizen. We don’t like to see people who speak Spanish in our county.’”

Nonetheless, Young is steadfast in his belief that the ordinance will help people be far more successful, citing research which says assimilating and learning the language leads to making two to three times more money.

Gonzalez says English-only laws are a “terrible response to a problem that doesn’t exist.”

Read the full story at NBC Latino