Federal government statistical agencies are islands of excellence in what Donald Trump regards as a swamp that needs draining. Their integrity and rigor deserve respect and careful tending. But not all their recommendations deserve to be followed.

Case in point: the Census Bureau’s proposals for change in the race and ethnic questions it asks Americans in the constitutionally mandated decennial census. One change would be to give respondents the option to designate their ancestry as “MENA” or Middle Eastern/North African. This would facilitate treating people of such ancestry as a preferred group in the racial and ethnic quotas and preferences so common not only in government but in business corporations.