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.

Please follow our Community Guidelines

Police stand at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after an incident, in Whelford, England, S...

Associated Press

Air base at the center of a UK terror probe has been used by the US Air Force during the Iran war

LONDON (AP) — British police arrested five men on Sunday on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism and explosives offenses outside RAF Fairford, a military base in western England that’s operated by the U.S. Air Force. Three suspicious vehicles are being searched, and counterterror officers are leading the investigation. Here’s what to know about […]

16 minutes ago

Associated Press

Powerful nor’easter floods Northeast, leaves over 100,000 without power as high tides threaten coast

BOSTON (AP) — A powerful nor’easter continued to batter the Northeast on Sunday, flooding coastal communities and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power as forecasters warned that another round of high tides could inundate vulnerable shorelines. The slow-moving storm, which killed a New York City housing authority worker when a tree […]

1 hour ago

shon barnes katie wilson seattle city hall rally...

John Curley Show

‘City council would rather blame the mayor’: Saul Spady argues 7 of 9 seats are up, nobody wants fingerprints on the crisis

Quality of Life Coalition founder Saul Spady said the Seattle City Council is letting Mayor Katie Wilson absorb all the public anger while doing nothing itself.

3 hours ago

e-bike er visit child...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘All of the e-bike answers are bad ones’: KIRO hosts question the premise of e-bikes as child ER visits surge nationwide

KIRO hosts debate e-bikes' safety as child ER visits increase, highlighting concerns over regulation and social pressures on young riders.

3 hours ago

carbon program wa cost...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘Get rid of the damn thing’: Gee blasts WA’s carbon program for costing too much, delivering too little

Washington's carbon program faces backlash for high costs and low impact as it moves toward merging with California and Quebec.

3 hours ago

seattle ranking cities...

MyNorthwest Staff

Seattle earns 4th-highest ranking in the world in new study of 1,000 cities

A new study ranks Seattle 4th globally, highlighting governance, economics, and quality of life among cities.

3 hours ago

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