Opposing view: Query reminds us of citizenship's value

After a confusing two weeks trying to respond to the Supreme Court’s ruling to drop the citizenship question from the 2020 census, the Trump administration seems ready to forge ahead. And even if it ultimately loses, the issue — and the passions it generates — are far from resolved.

Supporters of the question will work to bolster its legal rationale for future judicial scrutiny. Opponents will argue that it will discourage immigrants from responding to the census.

For most Americans, the hypersensitivity seems misplaced, especially for those who are Americans by choice, not by birth. Inclusion of this question would remind us just how valuable U.S. citizenship really is. This is especially true of the 130,000 immigrants in uniform since 2001, many of whom I served with in the Army, who found an accelerated route to citizenship by signing up to serve in our armed forces.

My great-grandfather, who emigrated from Austria, was asked about the place of his birth and those of his parents in the 1880 census. He didn’t shrink from these questions, despite prejudice against immigrants at that time. Nor did my great-grandmother, who was from Northern Ireland.

Through much of the 20th century, foreign-born individuals were proud to acknowledge that becoming an American was one of their biggest and best choices. It seems only fair to those legal immigrants not to conflate them along with noncitizens. Tabulating a raw total of U.S. citizens might also highlight for policymakers in Washington the need to help those who served in the military but who have yet to be given the citizenship they were promised.

Finally, it only seems a matter of common sense that we should know how many citizens we actually have.

As the U.S. Census records the linguistic and ethnic differences that we celebrate as our diversity, it should also record a common citizenship that unites us as one people. Otherwise, we are sending a signal that citizenship is not a thing to be valued. Let all voices be counted, especially those who fought — in some cases literally — to become citizens of the United States.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Mari K. Eder is a director of Our Citizenship Counts.