2020 Census draws ire from immigrants |
U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced late March 26 that a question about citizenship would be added to the 2020 Census. The controversial decision immediately sparked fierce backlash from the immigrant community. The states of California and New York have filed separate lawsuits, noting that asking the question will lead to an undercount of immigrant populations in their states. The Trump administration is using the Census as a tool to drive a very divisive agenda and to create fear in the immigrant community,Indian American Vedant Patel, spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, told India-West. When there`s a question about citizenship, people are less likely to take part, leading to a flawed data set for decisions impacting their community, he said. The U.S. Census — mandated by the Constitution — is taken every 10 years and determines the number of seats a district is entitled in Congress. It also determines the amount of dollars jurisdictions are given for federal projects. Karthick Ramakrishnan, Indian American founder and executive director of AAPI Data, told India-West said that adding the question of citizenship to Census data collection will definitely lead to an undercount of minority communities.
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