This article examines reactions to the changing linguistic ecology in the U.S. state of Iowa, which is experiencing a demographic phenomenon often referred to as the New Latino Diaspora (NLD) (Hamann et al., 2002). We first examine the historical processes and social structures that link current language policy initiatives within Iowa to local and national nativism. We then analyze public policies and texts to reveal how language ideologies circulate across diverse texts and contexts, forming discourses that shape the experiences of Latin@s in Iowa.

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To the memory of my mother, Suzanne, who taught me about power in caring. And to Lila, my daughter, who makes learning about complex identities a source of evolving joy. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you, first, to Oscar. I don't think many can fully understand the sacrifices you made so that I could complete this PhD, but I see and feel them. Te agradezco y te amo. To Tammia and DeeAnn and everyone at Wilson St./Morningside, who know how many acts of kindness and casserole it takes to put a dissertation into the world. You are our community. You have made our time here rich and we have loved sharing life with you. Thank you, also, to the members of my committee. To my advisor, David Johnson, for your time, feedback, and critique that strengthened this project and shaped my work through the years. To Amanda Thein, who reminded me of my own identity when I needed it. To Laurie Graham, whose work and teaching I respect deeply. To Leslie Schrier, whose support is a source of encouragement. To Lia Plakans, who is a model of kindness, professionalism, scholarship, and humility. And to Elana Shohamy, who first appeared in my life as an unexpected comfort in grief and is now an example of advocacy for fairness though scholarship. Each of you has taught me, each of you has shown me something about whom I hope to become. Deep thanks to Jamie Schissel, Nita Schmidt, Aliza Fones, and Phil Striegel for the intellectual and emotional work you put into this project. You did this for free, but I could never put a price on it. To my dad and sister, you are the best cheerleaders. Finalmente, me gustaría reconocer la valentía y la contribución de los participantes en este proyecto. Los maestros tal como las familias tomaron una posición iv vulnerable y valiente para crear la transformación. Esto no fue para nada fácil y es mi privilegio haber aprendido y participado junto a Uds./ Finally, I would like to acknowledge the courage and contribution of the participants in this study. Both educators and families put themselves into courageous, vulnerable positions in order to create transformation. This is no easy task, and it was my privilege to have learned from and participated alongside you in it.

Nationalist rhetoric is not new to the US political context of transnational migration (Johnson et al., 2018). However, the election cycle of 2016 amplified nationalist rhetoric and policy in new public spaces, including schools and classrooms. In this article, I analyze neo‐nationalist discourse as voiced by the Trump Administration in and adjacent to language classrooms and general education classrooms in a predominantly White, Midwestern school district with growing demographics of students designated as English Language Learners (ELLs). Using intertextual and interdiscursive analysis (Fairclough, 1992) and embodied sociolinguistics (Bucholtz & Hall, 2016), I trace how neo‐nationalist discourses entered the classrooms, homes, and, I argue, bodies of newly arrived, racialized, documented, and undocumented immigrant students. I demonstrate how such rhetoric and policy provoked physical manifestations of trauma coupled with resistance, showing how the circulation of neo‐nationalist ideas contributed to ideological constructions of immigrant student and family identities along lines of race, immigration status, and language. Based on my findings, I center participants' lived knowledge and goals to argue that these moments demand response in schools and language education classrooms and offer implications for research, policy, and practice.