Washington, DC (March 27, 2018) -- National Urban League President and CEO, Marc H. Morial, released the following statement in response to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announcement last night that a citizenship status question will be added to the 2020 Census:
"If this were any other administration the inclusion of a citizenship status question would likely seem benign. However, the Trump administration has repeatedly proposed xenophobic and racist policies--and its handling of the Census appears to be no different. It is intentionally politicizing the decennial Census by using it as a tool to intimidate undocumented immigrants from completing the questionnaire, siphon government resources from communities of color, and undermine the assurance of congressional representation.
"Secretary Ross is wrong. The decision to include a citizenship status question will make a complete population count even more difficult to achieve. The Census is far too important to communities of color to be comprised.
"The National Urban League will work with our coalition partners to challenge the inclusion of this question and we urge members of Congress to overturn this deeply flawed decision."
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Contact: K. Kim Atterbury | katterbury@nul.org | (202) 629-5750
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