From EPI: Census Citizenship Question

The Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants have far reaching implications. This past March, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross―with the support of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions―announced that he was instructing the Census Bureau to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census. The constitution mandates that our government undertake a count of every person in the United States every ten years. The census impacts more than just congressional district lines. It impacts the allocation of more than $700 billion in federal government resources to states and localities. It is a pillar of our democracy and if we get it wrong it distorts political power and the funding of our communities for the next decade. Past Census Bureau directors and a bipartisan pair of past Commerce secretaries warn that adding a citizenship question to the census will under-count already hard-to-reach populations―in low-income urban and rural areas alike. And the Census Bureau itself has told Secretary Ross that the question “harms the quality of the census count.” Right now, the Census Bureau is holding a public comment period―asking for our feedback on the Trump administration’s citizenship question. This is our chance to make our voices heard.  Click here to submit an official public comment opposing the citizenship question in the 2020 census and help ensure the accuracy of this critical once-in-a-decade census. (Comments submitted will become a matter of public record.) The administration’s attacks on immigrant populations―separating families at the border, increased ICE deportations, and targeting of immigrant Muslim populations―are already having a chilling effect on communities throughout the country. Adding this UNTESTED census question will have the likely effect of depressing response rates and distorting the accuracy of information.It will only add to the stresses and inequity recent immigrants are facing while taking resources away from already underserved communities. Stand with EPI and our partners in opposing the Trump administration’s citizenship question in the 2020 census. Click here to submit your official comment. At a time when Congress is cutting funding for critical programs―education, Medicaid, food stamps and more―it is crucial that we conduct an accurate census that properly allocates those limited resources. Thank you, Thea Lee President, Economic Policy Institute