SEATTLE RED

The title of U.S. citizen: A distinction that matters

Jan 18, 2019, 6:26 AM

citizen...

Attorneys leave the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Md., after a hearing on the federal government's motion to dismiss the NAACP lawsuit over concerns about the 2020 census. From left are NAACP general counsel Bradford Berry, Joseph Schottenfeld, third-year student at Yale Law School, and Jeffrey Zalesin, third-year student at Yale Law School. (AP Photo/Michael Kunzelman)

(AP Photo/Michael Kunzelman)

A federal judge in New York threw bureaucratic plans into turmoil when he blocked the Trump administration’s decision to add a simple and appropriate question to the census for 2020.

The Commerce Department wanted to ask “Are you a citizen of the United States?” but the judge claimed that their decision process violated federal guidelines. Meanwhile, his judgment, sure to be appealed, follows current liberal thinking that seeks to disregard the distinction between citizen and non-citizen. But that distinction is important, and valuable, especially for new immigrants!

After all, among America’s foreign-born residents, naturalized citizens and permanent legal residents outnumber the undocumented by three to one. My four immigrant grandparents all considered the day they became naturalized citizens one of the most significant events of their lives. Erasing the distinction between citizens and non-citizens doesn’t honor immigrants. But it does dishonor citizenship and the necessary process of Americanization.

cats kent...

Jason Sutich

Experts dispel fears of serial cat killer behind dead pets turning up in Kent

Several cats found dead and mutilated around Kent were killed by wildlife, not humans, experts concluded.

1 hour ago

Bite of Seattle shooting (1)...

Julia Dallas

15-year-old charged with first-degree assault in Bite of Seattle shooting as murder investigation continues

The 15-year-old in custody in connection with a gang-related mass shooting at Seattle Center has been charged with assault.

2 hours ago

Flowers and candles are seen placed with the Space Needle at background, during the vigil for victi...

Associated Press

Bullets that killed 2 at Seattle festival weren’t recovered from teen shooter’s gun, police say

SEATTLE (AP) — Bullets recovered from two bystanders killed during a shootout at a Seattle festival last weekend do not appear to have come from the gun that a 15-year-old arrested at the scene was firing, police said in court documents filed Wednesday. The King County prosecutor’s office filed charges of first-degree assault with a […]

2 hours ago

A memorial grows at the site where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by ICE agents, last week...

Associated Press

Witness to a fatal ICE shooting in Houston is released from immigration detention

A witness to a fatal shooting in Houston by a federal immigration agent was released from a detention center Wednesday after spending weeks in custody following the deadly encounter. Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego was one of three men riding in a work van July 7 being driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot by […]

2 hours ago

Sound Sound...

South Sound

Lacey Pulls the Curtain Back on Newest — and Largest — Park

Originally published on South Sound. The city of Lacey has announced the opening of its newest and largest greenspace. Greg Cuoio Park is located at 2711 Carpenter Road NE and encompasses 537 acres of forest, wetlands, tributaries, and sensitive habitat areas, according to a press release from the city. The full Greg Cuoio Park is […]

3 hours ago

Gas Works Park...

Julia Dallas

Big-name DJ teases Gas Works Park show after more than decade-long Seattle hiatus

A Grammy Award-winning electronic DJ and producer could be making his way back to Seattle after more than a decade.

3 hours ago

The title of U.S. citizen: A distinction that matters