Feds want to add citizenship question to U.S. Census

The Department of Justice has requested that a citizenship question be added to the 2020 U.S. Census questionnaire — a move critics say could keep immigrant populations from participating and supporters say is needed to enforce Voting Rights Act.

The decennial census is a key government function that aims to count everyone living in the U.S. in order to determine representation in Congress and to allocate hundreds of billions in federal funds.

RELATED: Concerns raised over 2020 census accuracy, funding

No citizenship question has appeared on the census short form since the 1950s. But from 1970 until 2000 one was included on the long form questionnaire that was sent to one in six households.

Now, the annual American Community Survey has replaced the long form and contains questions about citizenship status. That sampling survey goes to about one in every 38 households each year.

In a letter to the U.S. Census Bureau obtained by online news outlet ProPublica, the DOJ says it needs better data on the voting-age population so that it can better enforce the Voting Rights Act. It is requesting the question be added to the short form that goes to everyone.

“This data is critical to the department’s enforcement of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and its important protections against racial discrimination in voting,” the letter dated Dec. 12 says.

Section 2 prevents against “vote dilution” where a racial minority is denied representation by being drawn out of districts where they could have a majority. The DOJ argues that in order to properly enforce this law, the department must have data on how many citizens are of voting age in a census block, county, town or other locations.

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But immigrant rights advocates fear including a citizenship question will have a silencing effect on immigrant populations — regardless of their legal status.

“They’re going to be worried about how that information could be used against them in the future,” said Gary Daniels, a spokesman for the ACLU of Ohio. Non-citizens, even those in the U.S. legally such as refugees and green card holders, might refuse to participate, he said, which would defeat the stated purpose of the DOJ to get better data on minority populations.

Census data has been used against groups in the past, he said, most notably to identify and roundup Japanese-Americans for internment during World War II.

The Census Bureau has already noted an increase in concern by respondents about whether their data will be kept confidential and how it could be used in relation to immigration issues.

November presentation by census researcher Mikelyn Meyers said during test surveys, census employees documented people acting nervous, giving fake information, and at times breaking off the interview.

“Particularly with our current political climate, the Latino community will not sign up because they will think that the Census will pass their information on and people can come looking for them,” one Spanish speaking respondent said.

Others mentioned the “Muslim ban” and one interviewer who left information for a Hispanic family on the door of a mobile home came back later and found that the family was moving out, according to the presentation.

“Three years ago was so much easier to get respondents compared to now because of the government changes… and trust factors… Three years ago I didn’t have problems with the immigration questions,” one census interviewer said.

Critics have already been expressing concern over potential miscounts during the 2020 census because of a move to an under-tested online form and a lack of funding.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the census bureau, said in October the current $13 billion budget for the 2020 count is short by more than $2 billion.

Depressed participation by immigrant populations could mean an increase in costs, experts said, because the census must send interviewers out to attempt to locate anyone who doesn’t fill out the initial questionnaire.

Ross has the power to decide what questions will make the final census. Questions can be submitted up until April 2018.

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