Cindy Carr, cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, a federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration’s attempt to add a xenophobic citizenship question to the 2020 Census is illegal. The Commerce Department announced the addition of the citizenship status question to the Census last March in an effort to intimidate and discourage noncitizens and their families from responding to the census, a move that would 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.
In response, Sierra Club Democracy Program Director Courtney Hight released the following statement:
“This is a victory for all Americans who value a fair and open democracy and protecting the Constitution of the United States. This was just Donald Trump’s latest attempt to disregard and ignore communities of color and immigrants and we applaud this decision. A fair and impartial 2020 Census must be allowed to proceed without the Trump Administration’s interference.”
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Read our blog on the Census here.
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.