From The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda
Addition of unnecessary, untested question ti 2020 cunsus is latest attempt to undermine the census
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 45 of the nation's preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, condemns the decision of the Trump administration to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 Census. The addition of this question in the current political climate will cause confusion and fear, creating barriers to achieving an accurate census count, which is critical for our democracy, economy, and governments' ability to plan and implement programs efficiently.
New census questions typically undergo years of review and field testing before being added to the decennial survey of the entire population so that the Census Bureau has a sense of how people will respond to the question and whether the data collected will be reliable. In contrast, the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census was first recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice less than three months ago. Its inclusion, with limited opportunity for public comment and no field testing, suggests that the administration's decision is based on politics rather than objective needs.
"The Trump administration's addition of a citizenship question is pure politics. Their aim is to drive down the number of Latinos participating in the census, so that our communities are deprived of the political representation and federal resources we deserve," said Hector Sanchez Barba, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. "An accurate census is too important for our democracy to let the Trump administration get away with this. We call on Congress to reverse the Trump administration's decision and we will support any legal avenues to block it."
"The Department of Commerce decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census is an affront to the federal government's constitutional duty to carry out a complete count of the entire U.S. population. It undermines the work of the Census Bureau, needlessly wastes millions of taxpayer dollars because it is unnecessary and untested, and is clearly intended to depress the response rates by Latinos. NALEO will join hundreds of others who believe in a just democracy to fight this decision and ensure a fair and accurate Census," said Arturo Vargas, Co-Chair of NHLA's Census Working Group and Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund.
"The Census needs to reflect the growth of our population so that we can make the changes that we need in our communities. The President cannot demonize immigrants, threaten them with deportations and family separation, and then expect them to trust the government with sensitive information. This question is being added to ignore our presence, but you cannot ignore our contributions. Our best response will be to elect officials who represent our values- we will make sure that our presence is felt come the elections," stated Ben Monterroso, NHLA Board Member and Executive Director of Mi Familia Vota.
"As it stands, the census asks a person's place of birth, country of origin, and when they came to the U.S. Including citizenship status seeks to undermine its purpose: to count every person within our borders to accurately disperse federal funding and assign congressional representation. Approximately 16.6 million Americans live in mixed status families who pay taxes. Adding the citizenship question to the federal form seeks to intimidate our population who fear retaliation from an already hostile administration. It is lamentable that the administration seeks to hijack the integrity of the census in pursuit of its perverse nativist, ideological agenda hoping to bully the second largest group of Americans from accurate representation. In doing so, it is gambling with our country's future ability to properly resource schools, hospitals, and infrastructure for decades to come. Every American should be concerned," said Maria Teresa Kumar, NHLA Board Member and President & CEO of Voto Latino.
From the National LGBTQ Task Force: Everyone Deserves to be Counted in the 2020 Census
Washington, DC, March 27, 2018: Yesterday, the Trump administration stated it is adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.
The following statement is from Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force:
The announcement last night that the Trump administration is adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census is another methodical step in its attempt to silence immigrants and cast them into the shadows. The Census is a constitutionally-mandated process that directs billions of dollars in federal funds and determines our representation in Congress. If a citizenship question is added to the form it will do irreparable harm to the core concept of a fair and accurate 2020 Census count. The Census Bureau's own research concluded that adding this untested question will cause depressed response rates. That is the opposite of what we need. Everyone in America — immigrant, LGBTQ, urban, homeless, etc. — deserves to be counted. The Census impacts everything from the boundaries of our school districts to the enforcement of our civil rights; we can't afford the consequences of this decision.
The National LGBTQ Task Force works to secure full freedom, justice, equality, and equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer ( LGBTQ ) people. For over forty years, we have been at the forefront of the social justice movement by training thousands of organizers and advocating for change at the federal, state, and local level. www.thetaskforce.org .
