On its way out, the Trump administration has greatly restricted access to those seeking asylum and dishonestly rejiggered the test permanent residents must pass before being granted U.S. citizenship. For shame.
The new asylum rule, finalized last week, erects new hurdles and denying broad categories of claims including domestic abuse and gang violence. Not content that America has just admitted a historically low number of refugees, the nation that once opened its arms to those fleeing persecution and unrest now reflexively looks askance at desperate people and families.
The turn of the back to people outside American borders dovetails with a fresh insult to those who are already here contributing to our communities.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration nearly doubled the cost to apply to become a U.S. citizen. Now, a new citizenship test gets American history and values embarrassingly wrong, thanks to tightly affixed partisan political blinders.
“Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one,” the 2020 test’s study guide says. The list of acceptable answers includes “The Federalist Papers,” which were written after the Constitution was drafted, to defend it.
“Who does a U.S. senator represent?” asks one question. “Citizens of their state” is the supposedly correct answer, just as “citizens of their district” is the stated right answer to “Who does a member of the House of Representatives represent?” But the law as interpreted to date and the Census make clear that elected officials represent all people who live in their jurisdiction — citizens and non-citizens alike.
“What are the rights of everyone living in the United States?” asks the test. One of the acceptable answers, alongside “freedom of speech,” is “the right to bear arms.” But the Second Amendment’s guarantee has never extended to children or prison inmates or many felons.
Repair the Golden Door.
This editorial first appeared in the New York Daily News on Thursday. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.
