By: civilrights.org

WASHINGTON — Meeta Anand, senior director of the census and data equity program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to the administration’s calls to exclude undocumented individuals from the census:

“Excluding noncitizens or undocumented individuals from the census contradicts the principles of the 14th Amendment and turns the census into a tool for political gerrymandering. This approach is a blatant attempt to intimidate communities who are already underrepresented in census data. It will erode trust in the safety and accuracy of census information and discourage participation across all communities, ultimately diminishing the significance of representation.

“A fair and accurate decennial census is essential for the functioning of our democracy, ensuring that our communities receive the resources and representation they need and deserve. Congress and the administration should prioritize providing the Census Bureau with the resources necessary to utilize the latest technology and most effective methods for counting all residents of our nation, just as it has been charged to do every 10 years for centuries.”

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