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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 4 July 2019

U.S. still looking for way to ask

about citizenship on census

By MARK SHERMAN and it. The abrupt shift from the federal judges have Twitter
JILL COLVIN Associated Justice Department came accounts, but I happen to
Press hours after President Don- be one of them, and I fol-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ald Trump insisted he was low the President, and so
Justice Department said not dropping his efforts I saw a tweet that directly
Wednesday that it was to ask about citizenship contradicted the position”
still looking for a way to in next year’s nationwide that a Justice Department
include a controversial survey. On Twitter he de- lawyer took in a hearing
citizenship question on the clared, “We are absolutely Tuesday, Hazel said.
2020 census, even though moving forward.” Fear and confusion among
In this May 14, 2013, file photo, the Department of Justice
headquarters building in Washington is photographed early in the government has start- The administration has immigrants might just be the
the morning. ed the process of printing faced numerous road- president’s aim, a lawyer
Associated Press the questionnaire without blocks to adding the citi- for opponents of the ques-
zenship question, including tion said, since the Census
last week’s Supreme Court Bureau’s own experts have
ruling that blocked its in- said asking about citizen-
clusion, at least temporar- ship would depress par-
ily. The Justice Department ticipation by immigrants
had insisted to the Supreme and people who are in the
Court that it needed the country illegally.
matter resolved by the end “The President’s tweet
of June because it faced has some of the same ef-
a deadline to begin print- fects that the addition of
ing census forms and other the question would in the
materials. first place and some of
“There may be a legally the same effects on the
available path,” Assistant 18-month battle that was
Attorney General Joseph just waged over the citizen-
Hunt told U.S. District Judge ship question. It leaves the
George Hazel during a immigrant communities to
conference call with par- believe that the Govern-
ties to one of three cen- ment is still after informa-
sus lawsuits. The call was tion that could endanger
closed to reporters, but a them,” Mexican-American
transcript was made avail- Legal Defense Fund lawyer
able soon after. Denise Hulett said.
A day earlier, a Justice De- Joshua Gardner, a second
partment spokeswoman Justice Department lawyer
confirmed that there would on the conference call,
be “no citizenship question confirmed that “the Census
on the 2020 census” amid Bureau is continuing with
signs that the administra- the process of printing the
tion was ending the legal questionnaire without a cit-
fight. Commerce Secretary izenship question, and that
Wilbur Ross said in a state- process has not stopped.”
ment Tuesday that the Gardner, a 16-year Jus-
“Census Bureau has started tice Department lawyer,
the process of printing the said he was as surprised
decennial questionnaires by Trump’s tweet as any-
without the question.” one. “The tweet this morn-
Trump’s tweet sowed ing was the first I had heard
enough confusion to of the President’s position
prompt Hazel and U.S. on this issue, just like the
District Judge Jesse Fur- plaintiffs and Your Honor. I
man, overseeing a census do not have a deeper un-
lawsuit in New York, to de- derstanding of what that
mand clarification by the means at this juncture oth-
end of the day. er than what the President
“I don’t know how many has tweeted,” he said.q