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U.S. NEWS Saturday 18 auguSt 2018

Lawyers: Discharged Army

specialist granted U.S. citizenship

By MICHAEL BALSAMO fied. since I was a child, growing
Associated Press Her lawsuit alleged that up here. I had hoped for
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A that the government im- a long career in the Army.
South Korean-born U.S. properly failed to process But I am so happy now that
Army specialist who sued her citizenship application. I will be a citizen.”
after the military moved Earlier this week, a federal Sea’s attorney, Sameer
to discharge her has been judge ruled immigration Ahmed, said he was “glad
granted citizenship, her at- officials had three weeks the government has made
torneys said Friday. to decide whether to ap- good on its promise under Yea Ji Sea, a former U.S. Army specialist who was born in South
Yea Ji Sea, 29, had filed prove the citizenship appli- its enlistment program.” Korea, talks with reporters after a federal court hearing in Los
a lawsuit last month de- cation or explain the delay Ahmed said earlier this Angeles Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018.
manding a response to her to the court. week that he believed Associated Press
citizenship application. She On Friday, the Justice De- Sea’s case was part of a have been discharged or alleged there had been
came to the country as a partment notified Sea that greater effort by the Trump whose status has become a fraudulent document in
child on a visitor visa and her application was ap- administration to deny citi- questionable, jeopardizing an earlier student visa ap-
held other visas before en- proved, according to the zenship to soldiers. their futures. plication. Sea believed the
listing in 2013 under a spe- American Civil Liberties The Associated Press re- The Army has since tempo- paperwork she obtained
cial government program Union Foundation of South- ported last month immigra- rarily stopped discharging through an approved lan-
for foreign citizens who ern California. She’s sched- tion attorneys knew of more immigrant recruits, pending guage school was legiti-
want to serve in the U.S. uled to be sworn in at a citi- than 40 U.S. Army reservists a review of the program. mate, according to the
military. zenship ceremony on Aug. and recruits who enlisted Sea applied for citizenship lawsuit, but the school’s
Under the program, recruits 24. “I love this country and in the military with a prom- in 2014, but she was denied owner was convicted in a
agreed in their enlistment was honored to serve it in ised path to citizenship and after immigration officials fraud case.q
contracts to apply to natu- the U.S. Army,” Sea said in
ralize as soon as their hon- a statement. “I had felt like
orable service was certi- I was like I was an American

U.S. regulators target

Facebook on discriminatory

housing ads

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal mitter of user content.
regulators are alleging that Facebook said the compa-
Facebook’s advertising ny doesn’t allow discrimina-
tools allow landlords and tion and has strengthened
real estate brokers to en- its systems over the past
gage in housing discrimina- year to prevent misuse. The
tion. company added that it is
The U.S. Department of working directly with HUD
Housing and Urban Devel- to address its concerns.
opment said in an adminis- Facebook has an oppor-
trative complaint this week tunity to respond to the
that Facebook violated the HUD complaint before the
Fair Housing Act because agency determines wheth-
its targeting systems al- er to file formal charges.
low advertisers to exclude The HUD action is separate
certain audiences, such from the federal lawsuit,
as families with young chil- filed in March in New York
dren or disabled people, by the National Fair Hous-
from seeing housing ads. ing Alliance and other or-
Service providers such as ganizations. The lawsuit
Facebook typically aren’t says investigations by fair
liable for the actions of housing supporters in New
their users. In a separate, York, Washington, D.C.,
civil lawsuit filed by housing Miami and San Antonio,
advocates, the Justice De- Texas, show that Facebook
partment says Facebook continues to let advertisers
doesn’t fall under that cat- discriminate even though
egory because it mines civil rights and housing
user data, some of which groups have notified the
users have to provide, and company since 2016 that
customizes ads for specific it is violating the federal
audiences. The govern- Fair Housing Act. It seeks
ment says that counts as unspecified damages
being a content creator, and a court order to end
rather than merely a trans- discrimination.q