WASHINGTON, D.C.– Congressman Jimmy Gomez D-Los Angeles), a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), led his colleagues from the Hispanic Caucus in a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to request an urgent meeting regarding his decision to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census.
“The decision to add a citizenship question is highly questionable given that the Census Bureau previously argued in court cases that adding a citizenship question to the census would ‘inevitably jeopardize the overall accuracy of the population count’,” read the letter. “The Census is a cornerstone of our democracy and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus firmly believes the recent actions by the Department will have immense repercussions. We request that you meet with us to discuss this issue further and ensure a full and inclusive accounting of our population.”
On March 26, the Department of Commerce announced that a question on citizenship status will be added to the 2020 Census at the urging of Trump’s Department of Justice. The inclusion of the untested citizenship question drew immediate criticism, including from six former directors of the Census Bureau who have served under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
The Bureau has not studied or tested the citizenship question nearly as rigorously as the combined question on race and ethnicity, which the Bureau has studied for over six years. Despite this, Secretary Ross ruled that the citizenship question merits inclusion in the 2020 Census.
Data collected by the decennial census is used to apportion representatives in Congress, determine the allocation of votes in the Electoral college, and used to draw state, local, and congressional districts. Opponents of the untested citizenship question in the Census are concerned it could lead to an undercount in states with high Latino populations like California, costing the state a Congressional seat and billions of dollars in federal aid.
Read the full letter here:
April 11, 2018
Wilbur Ross
Secretary
Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20230
Dear Secretary Ross,
We write to request a meeting with you to discuss your decision to include a citizenship question in the 2020 Census.
On March 26, 2018, you announced that the 2020 Census will include a question asking the citizenship status of every person in the United States. We staunchly oppose this action, and believe that the inclusion of this question will ultimately jeopardize the accuracy of the census while wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on non-response follow up.
Your decision to add a citizenship question is highly questionable given that the Census Bureau previously argued in court cases that adding a citizenship question to the census would “inevitably jeopardize the overall accuracy of the population count.” In fact, the Supreme Court summarized that “questions about voting eligibility or citizenship could chill participation from individuals who ‘perceive any possibility of this information being used against them” and would thus “jeopardize the overall accuracy of the population count” required by the Constitution.
We further question your decision to include the citizenship question given the decision against including the combined race and ethnicity question. The Bureau has not studied or tested the citizenship question nearly as rigorously as the combined question yet you ruled that the citizenship question merits inclusion in the 2020 Census.
Given this rationale, we must ask why it is that you chose to include the citizenship question when you have testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that “one of the problems with adding questions is it reduces response rates.”
Our nation’s prosperity is shaped in part by the accuracy of the data collected by the Census Bureau. Every 10 years, data collected by the decennial census is used to apportion representatives in Congress; determine how many votes each state will have in the Electoral college; draw state, local, and congressional district; and allocate billions of federal funds to local communities. The census guides a wide range of decisions that affect the lives of all persons residing here in the United States. As representatives of immigrant communities, we are deeply concerned that the inclusion of the citizenship question will instill fear in our communities, and further deter already marginalized communities from engaging in our governance.
The Census is a cornerstone of our democracy and we firmly believe the recent actions by the Department will have immense repercussions. We request that you meet with us to discuss this issue further and ensure a full and inclusive accounting of our population.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Gomez, Member of Congress
