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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 19 January 2021
Census Bureau director to resign amid criticism over data

By MIKE SCHNEIDER the Trump administration
Associated Press unsuccessfully tried to put a
Facing criticism over ef- citizenship question on the
forts to produce citizenship 2020 census questionnaire,
data to comply with an or- and the president issued
der from President Donald two directives that advo-
Trump, U.S. Census Bureau cacy groups said were part
director Steven Dilling- of efforts to suppress the
ham said Monday that he participation of minorities
planned to resign with the and immigrants in the head
change in presidential ad- count of every U.S. resident.
ministrations. Trump’s first directive, is-
Dillingham said in a state- sued in 2019, instructed
ment that he would resign the Census Bureau to use
on Wednesday, the day administrative records to
Trump leaves the White figure out who is in the
House and President-elect country illegally after the
Joseph Biden takes office. Supreme Court blocked
Dillingham’s term was sup- the citizenship question. In
posed to be finished at the the second directive last
end of the year. year, Trump instructed the
The Census Bureau direc- Census Bureau to provide
tor’s departure comes as data that would allow his
the statistical agency is U.S. Census Director Steven Dillingham pauses after speaking at a news conference to urge administration to exclude
crunching the numbers Arizonans to participate in the nation’s once-a-decade census population count Thursday, Sept. people in the U.S. illegally
for the 2020 census, which 17, 2020, in Phoenix. Associated Press from the numbers used for
will be used to determine divvying up congressional
how many congressional the past five presidents.” A report by the Office of In- spector general’s report, seats among the states.
seats and Electoral College A Census Bureau spokes- spector General last week leaders of the National As- An influential GOP adviser
votes each state gets, as man said the agency’s said bureau workers were sociation of Latino Elected had advocated exclud-
well as the distribution of chief operating officer, under significant pressure and Appointed Officials, ing them from the appor-
$1.5 trillion in federal spend- Ron Jarmin, will assume the from two Trump political Asian Americans Advanc- tionment process in order
ing each year. director’s duties. Jarmin appointees to figure out ing Justice and The Lead- to favor Republicans and
In his statement, Dillingham served in the same role be- who is in the U.S. illegally ership Conference on Civil non-Hispanic whites, even
said he had been consider- fore Dillingham became di- using federal and state ad- and Human Rights called though the Constitution
ing retiring earlier, but he rector two years ago. ministrative records, and for Dillingham’s resignation, spells out that every per-
had been persuaded at Last week, Democratic Dillingham had set a Fri- and several Democratic son in each state should be
the time to stick around. lawmakers called on Dill- day deadline for bureau lawmakers followed suit. counted. Trump’s unprec-
“But I must do now what I ingham to resign after a statisticians to provide him Dillingham then ordered an edented order on appor-
think is best,” said Dilling- watchdog agency said a technical report on the indefinite halt to the efforts tionment was challenged
ham, 68. “Let me make he had set a deadline that effort. One whistleblower to produce data showing in more than a half-dozen
it clear that under other pressured statisticians to told the Office of Inspector the citizenship status of ev- lawsuits around the U.S., but
circumstances I would be produce a report on the General that the work was ery U.S. resident through the Supreme Court ruled
honored to serve President- number of people in the “statistically indefensible.” administrative records. last month that any chal-
Elect Biden just as I served U.S. illegally. After the release of the in- During Dillingham’s tenure, lenge was premature.q

King Day service calls for nonviolence

amid turbulent times

ATLANTA (AP) — Speakers the slain civil rights lead- and the deadly siege in
at the annual Martin Luther er’s daughter. “It is frankly Washington by supporters
King Jr. holiday celebration out of control and we are of President Donald Trump
in Atlanta called Monday causing too much harm to all underscore an urgent
for a renewed dedication one another.” need to pursue what her
to nonviolence following a The coronavirus pandemic father called “the beloved
turbulent year in which a forced the annual King community” — a world
deadly pandemic, protests Day service at Atlanta’s in which conflict is solved
over systemic racism and Ebenezer Baptist Church nonviolently and compas- G.A. Breedlove stands outside of the historic Ebenezer First
a divisive election capped online during the 35th cel- sion dictates policy. Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached on
Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day,
by an attack on the U.S. ebration of his birthday as a “We still have a choice to- in Atlanta.
Capitol strained Ameri- national holiday. His family day — nonviolent coexis- Associated Press
cans’ capacity for civility. was among a sparse group tence or violent co-annihi-
“This King holiday has not wearing masks and sitting lation,” Bernice King said, President-elect Joe Biden, “We must not rest. It’s our
only come at a time of far apart amid mostly emp- again reciting the words of who recalled sensing the responsibility to come to-
great peril and physical ty pews as others delivered her father. “This may well civil rights leader’s “restless gether, all Americans, to
violence, it has also come remarks remotely. be mankind’s last chance spirit” during a visit to the bring peace to that restless
during a time of violence Bernice King said the toll to choose between chaos National Civil Rights Muse- spirit,” Biden said. “... That’s
in our speech — what we of the pandemic, linger- and community.” um housed at the Tennes- our charge in the days
say and how we say it,” ing outrage over killings The ceremony included see motel where he was fa- ahead. That’s the charge
said the Rev. Bernice King, of unarmed Black people prerecorded remarks by tally shot outside his room. in the years ahead.”q