To: Wilbus Ross, Commerce Secretary
Hijacking the Census? Not on our watch.
Unlike in years past, the 2020 census will feature a citizenship question, which will discourage Americans of color from participating. It's the government's constitutional duty to count all people in every part of the country. We should not stand for the politicization of the census.
Why is this important?
The Trump Administration is launching an extraordinary attempt to hijack the 2020 census for political purposes.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recently announced that he will add a question asking citizenship status to the 2020 U.S. census.
Experts — from former census directors representing both Republican and Democratic administrations, 60 members of Congress, 161 Republican and Democratic mayors, 19 state attorneys general, more than 170 civil rights organizations, and prominent business leaders —agree this is a terrible idea.
The inclusion of a citizenship question is likely to scare people of color and undocumented immigrants away from responding. This would result in a severe undercount of newer Americans — even Americans who have lived in the U.S. for decades, whose children and spouses are American citizens — and lead to unfair redistricting that would unduly benefit Republicans making the changes.
This hijacking of the 2020 census must stop. Secretary Ross should uphold the government’s constitutional duty to count ALL people in EVERY part of the country — without adding unnecessary and overtly political questions that will scare people away.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recently announced that he will add a question asking citizenship status to the 2020 U.S. census.
Experts — from former census directors representing both Republican and Democratic administrations, 60 members of Congress, 161 Republican and Democratic mayors, 19 state attorneys general, more than 170 civil rights organizations, and prominent business leaders —agree this is a terrible idea.
The inclusion of a citizenship question is likely to scare people of color and undocumented immigrants away from responding. This would result in a severe undercount of newer Americans — even Americans who have lived in the U.S. for decades, whose children and spouses are American citizens — and lead to unfair redistricting that would unduly benefit Republicans making the changes.
This hijacking of the 2020 census must stop. Secretary Ross should uphold the government’s constitutional duty to count ALL people in EVERY part of the country — without adding unnecessary and overtly political questions that will scare people away.