Chairman Crowley Statement on the Trump Administration’s Decision to Politicize the 2020 Census
(Queens, NY) — House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-NY) released the following statement after the Commerce Department announced that a question on citizenship would be added to the 2020 Census:
“This is an unacceptable move to politicize and derail the 2020 Census. This effort is a direct threat to our representative democracy, a blatant effort to intimidate immigrant communities, and a complete sabotage of the census process.
“At a time when we have seen anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies flow from the White House, a question on citizenship would instill fear and distrust among immigrant communities, depressing participation and increasing the risk of an inaccurate count. Census numbers are used to allocate federal, state, and local government funding, as well as to determine the redistricting process for federal and state legislatures. An undercount of the population would be devastating for communities, especially those that are already underrepresented, across the country.
“Congress must now take action to protect the census and its important mission as laid out in the Constitution. I’m proud to support Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s 2020 Census Improving Data and Enhanced Accuracy Act and I urge Republican Leaders to bring this critical legislation up for a vote. We must do all we can to ensure our immigrant communities are able to participate in the census.”
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