Cindy Carr (202) 495-3034 or cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Yesterday, the Commerce Department announced that it will be including a question about citizenship status in the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census. The modern Decennial Census has not included a citizenship question since 1950, and its inclusion in the upcoming census is widely seen as an effort to intimidate and discourage noncitizens and their families from responding to the census, a move that will affect the total count of Americans. Without an accurate count of every living person in America, the incomplete data will skew the drawing of political districts, the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives, and the distribution of federal funding for local communities.
At today’s White House press briefing, in response to a question about the inclusion of the citizenship question in the 2020 Census, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders inaccurately stated that, “This was a question that was included in the U.S. Census since 1965 with the exception of 2010 when it was removed.”
This move is the latest in a long list of xenophobic and anti-immigrant policies coming from the Trump Administration. The state of California has already filed a lawsuit against the administration, citing a violation of the U.S. Constitution, and many more lawsuits are likely to follow.
In response, Sierra Club Democracy Program Director Courtney Hight released the following statement:
"The Trump Administration is attempting to mislead the public about its plans to exploit the census to carry out its xenophobic policies. When taking the oath of office, Donald Trump swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, but manipulating the census to fulfill his own racist agenda and tip the scales in favor of one political party is nothing short of un-American.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.