LATEST CENSUS UPDATES FROM ADVANCING JUSTICE
Advancing Justice | AAJC Statement in Response to Census Bureau Altered Timeline for 2020 Census
April 13, 2020, The U.S. Census Bureau announced today a dramatically altered timeline for the 2020 Census amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Civil rights groups launch multilingual 2020 Census hotlines
February 13, 2020, Civil rights organizations are launching 2020 Census hotlines for the communities they serve in over 10 languages that will serve as a crucial resource for individuals who have questions or concerns regarding the upcoming 2020 Census. Hotlines will answer calls in English, Spanish, Arabic, and eight Asian languages.
President Trump Backs Down From Adding 2020 Census Citizenship Question
July 11, 2019, press release from Asian Americans Advancing Justice on President Donald Trump announcing he has ended his political wrangling in court and will not seek further legal action to include the citizenship question on the 2020 Census form.
Advancing Justice | AAJC Declares Victory on Citizenship Question
July 11, 2019, press release from Advancing Justice | AAJC on Trump Administration decision to stand down on adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.
July 5, 2019, press release from Advancing Justice | AAJC on how the U.S. Department of Commerce refused to enter a joint stipulation with the plaintiffs of Lupe v. Ross et al.
July 3, 2019, press release from Advancing Justice | AAJC stating that the government has until 2:00 p.m. ET Friday to respond to addition of 2020 Census citizenship question.
July 2, 2019, press release from Advancing Justice | AAJC on further confirmation needed after government indicates it will move forward with the 2020 Census without citizenship question.
“The Census is vital for a functioning society, and for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other underserved populations, the Census makes sure that our communities are not undercounted, rendered invisible, or unable to access necessary resources. ”
LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE CENSUS
Why You May Get An Email About COVID-19 From The Census Bureau
April 21, 2020, NPR, Over the next three months, you may see emails from an unusual source — the U.S. Census Bureau. While the federal government's largest statistical agency scrambles to salvage the constitutionally mandated 2020 census, it's also rolling out a $1.2 million experiment called the "Household Pulse Survey" to try to measure how the coronavirus pandemic is upending life for households in the U.S.
April 13, 2020, U.S. Census Bureau, The Census Bureau temporarily suspended 2020 Census field data collection activities in March. Steps are already being taken to reactivate field offices beginning June 1, 2020, in preparation for the resumption of field data collection operations as quickly as possible following June 1.
Wanted: Half a million workers to help count people for the census
February 20, 2020, CNN | News, The Census Bureau is ramping up recruiting in a push to hire up to half a million temporary workers for this year's count.
Census Director Steven Dillingham said this week that his agency is hoping hundreds of thousands more people will submit applications. So far, about 2.4 million have applied.
"We would still like to get to 2.67 million (applications)," Dillingham told reporters Tuesday. "We're confident we'll do it, and we'll do it in short order."
The 2020 Census is Coming—and the Results Will Impact State Budgets
February 20, 2020, Pew Charitable Trusts | News, Many states—such as Colorado and Illinois—are investing serious dollars to make sure their residents get counted. In fact, according to The New York Times, 26 states are spending close to a third of a billion dollars to promote accurate response rates when the census count begins in April. “We’re seeing more and more states encouraging their residents to participate in the census,” said Wendy Underhill, director of elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures. “This push is much more about ensuring that each state gets its fair share of federal funding—much of which is based on formulas that use census data--than it is about whether a congressional seat could be at stake.”
One-Third of U.S. Residents Suspicious of Census, Survey Finds
February 20, 2020, The Pew Charitable Trusts | News, The survey of 7,694 people conducted in December found that around one-third of adults are concerned that their answers to census questions will be shared with other agencies or used against them in some way.
Nevertheless, 77% said they would “probably” or “definitely” fill out a form. That number shrank to 67% among 18- to 34-year-olds, highlighting the vexing problem of reaching millennials and Generation Z. It also was lower among Hispanic people (71%) and people in families including immigrants (69%).
If You Think Voting Is Important, Try The Census
February 20, 2020, Forbes | Op-ed, At James Madison University, we are involving students as leaders in census outreach and education efforts. We are working with faculty, administrators, state and local government officials, community organizations, and the Census Bureau on joint initiatives to reach several hard-to-count populations in our region. The keys to the success of these efforts are building diverse and inclusive coalitions which can leverage the power of trusted individuals and their networks to reach traditionally underrepresented populations and help overcome motivational and informational barriers to completing the census.
The Census Count Relies on Private Philanthropy
February 14, 2020, The American Prospect | News, The big risk of the census is not a national population undercount, but an undercount of certain groups: minorities, immigrants and refugees, children, disabled people, and homeless people. According to a lawsuit filed by the NAACP against the Census Bureau, the 2010 census failed to count 1.5 million black and Hispanic residents, “enough people to fill two Congressional districts,” according to the complaint. By contrast, the complaint says, non-Hispanic white people were overcounted by an estimated .8 percent.
February 15, 2020, Washington Examiner | News, “Director, we need to get it right because I am not white. I'm not. And I don’t try to say to others that you should be this or that. But when I sit on this form and I look at it, I don’t see myself represented on this form. And I think that’s a huge issue for people like me.”
Tlaib also suggested that incorrectly identifying oneself on the census could negatively affect civil rights and minority businesses’ likelihood of receiving a loan.
One in 10 North Carolinians is Latino; will they all be counted on Census Day?
February 15, 2020, The Herald Sun | News, For the first time, there’s a statewide committee focused on persuading North Carolina’s Latino residents to take part in the census. An estimated 1 million Latinos live in the state, accounting for one of every 10 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and supporters of the campaign say an accurate count of the state’s population isn’t possible if significant numbers of Hispanics don’t take part.
The 2020 Census: Shaping the future of democracy in the United States
February 17, 2020, The Boston Globe | Opinion, There are two other important legal considerations regarding the 2020 Census. First, responses to the census will be kept completely confidential. The law prohibits the Census Bureau from sharing any information that could identify individual respondents with any outside entity, including law and immigration enforcement agencies. Census employees also take a lifelong oath to uphold the privacy of all information that the Census Bureau collects. There are strong penalties for violating this oath.
Secondly, the law requires that responses to the 2020 Census is mandatory. However, the Census Bureau believes that the most effective way to achieve an accurate enumeration is to educate respondents on the importance of the census, and that their responses are completely confidential. It should also be noted that the Census Bureau has no enforcement authorities.
El Paso organizations work to ensure homeless are counted in the 2020 Census
February 17, 2020, KVIA.com – ABC | News, Several communities are difficult to count, including homeless populations. That's why several Borderland shelters and homeless organizations have formed a committee to explore strategies together. . .
Bosslet said residents can be fearful of the government, and so the center has focused on educating residents about the census and how their information will be kept private.
Southern NM Nonprofits Focusing on Hard-to-Count Places for 2020 Census
February 18, 2020, KRWG.org – NPR | News, At a recent press conference hosted in English and Spanish, members of faith-based advocacy group NM Comunidades en Acción y de Fé (CAFé), the Empowerment Congress of Doña Ana County and Doña Ana Communities United spoke about educational and canvassing efforts to "Get Out the Count" regionally. Organizers said that includes canvassing door-to-door in smaller municipalities of the county like Sunland Park and Anthony along with colonias such as Berino, Chaparral, Vado, Mesquite, La Mesa, San Miguel and La Union.
Census Bureau spends millions on ad campaign to mitigate fears on excluded citizenship question
February 18, 2020, The Hill | News, The entire advertising campaign with 1,000 ads will continue over the next five months, including $50 million targeting Latino populations, $40 million focused on African Americans and $20 million on Asian Americans, according to Culture ONE World, a Washington-based ad agency, Politico reported.
Several of the ads are directed at minority populations, particularly the Latino community, because of the bureau’s concerns that the 2020 census will undercount these populations, according to Politico.
Time to ring census alarm bell, advocates warn congress
January 29, 2020, Bernardino American Newspaper, With the United States about to begin its monumental task of counting everybody in the country once every 10 years, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on Thursday, Jan. 9, to see what the Census Bureau is doing to avoid overlooking so-called “hard to count” communities.
Census 2020 ads don't do enough to dispel immigrant fears, advocates say
January 20, 2020, Public Radio International, A 60-second advertising spot in Spanish that discusses everyone counts and filling out the census is important. At the end, a note about your personal information being protected is mentioned as a nod toward the mistrust towards the federal government after the failed attempt to add a citizenship question to the census.
Deep Dive-Legal battle over census citizenship data rages on
January 14, 2020, The Yappie, While the Supreme Court halted the Trump administration’s plans to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census last year, civil rights groups including Asian Americans Advancing Justice are still seeking to block an executive order directing the Census Bureau to gather citizenship information through administration records.
Latinos, Asian Americans still fear 2020 census over citizenship question, witnesses tell Congress
January 9, 2020, NBC News, Civil rights leaders Arturo Vargas and John Yang testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, speaking on challenges and barriers to getting accurate numbers of hard-to-count communities on the 2020 census.
Citizenship question hangs over census preparations, panel told
January 10, 2020, MSN News, Although the Trump administration dropped a citizenship question from this year's census, minority groups told the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Thursday that the question's specter has haunted preparations for a national count that could miss millions of residents.
Fear of ICE raids during census could hamper count of immigrants
January 23, 2020, Roll Call, A network of nonprofits, local governments and advocacy groups has fanned out to help the Census Bureau conduct its decennial count of America’s residents. Some advocates worry the administration, after its failed push to add a citizenship question to the census, may continue on-the-ground immigration enforcement efforts in a departure from previous censuses.
December 12, 2019, L.A. Watts Times, U.S. Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on Tuesday joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in introducing a bipartisan resolution to ensure the 2020 Census is fair and accurate. The resolution encourages individuals, families, and households across the United States to take part in the Census so that all communities can be counted.
Utah joins nearly 2 dozen US states spending on 2020 Census
September 17, 2019, PBS, Utah became the latest on Monday as its GOP-dominated Legislature voted to spend $1 million on outreach for the census, a first for the state that’s one of the youngest and fastest-growing in the country.
Nearly 1 million residents in 'hard to count' census tracts in and near Dallas
September 13, 2019, The Dallas Morning News, Nearly 1 million people live in "hard to count" census tracts in and around Dallas, putting millions of federal money at risk if residents are undercounted in the 2020 Census.
How the government is using Siri and Alexa to stop the spread of Census misinformation
September 12, 2019, CNN, The Census Bureau is working with all the major social media companies on ways to prevent the spread of false information that could be used to dissuade people from filling out their census forms.
How Cities Can Make the 2020 Census a Success
September 12, 2019, U.S. News World Report, Less than 20% of all Americans believe our representatives in Washington do what is right most of the time. With these record levels of distrust, the Federal Census Bureau and state-level Complete Count Committees will need to rely on city and local governments and institutions more than ever before for creative approaches to resident outreach.
Tribal leaders seek accurate census counts on reservations
September 3, 2019, Associated Press: Tribal leaders are mapping strategies to ensure tribal members are represented on the upcoming census.
Greatest head count in US history is nearly ready for launch
August 27, 2019, Washington Post: The Census Bureau is trying to anticipate challenges to reaching hard-to-count communities as preparations for 2020 continue.
Do Trump Officials Plan To Break Centuries Of Precedent In Divvying Up Congress?
August 14th, 2019, NPR: Ambiguity in government statements raises concern about citizenship consideration in apportionment.
With congressional seats at stake, officials detail big push for census participation
August 10th, 2019, American Bar Association: Experts say outreach must center around dispelling fears and reversing misinformation surrounding the role of the census.
With citizenship question off the census, California groups push for participation
August 9th, 2019, LA Times: Census outreach by community groups is fully underway emphasizing the importance of participation after the courts’ final decision regarding the citizenship question.
California Spending Big on Census After Trump’s Citizenship Question Fight
Aug 6, 2019, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Californian Government has set aside more money in order to get an accurate count of the underrepresented demographics living in the state.
How Controversy Over the Census and Immigration Caused a Crisis 100 Years Ago
July 23, 2019, Time Magazine, Controversy over immigrant’s inclusion on the United States Census is nothing new and the fight for accurate representation goes back 100 years.
House to Vote on Criminal Contempt for Barr, Ross Over Census Dispute
July 17, 2019, CNN, The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt over a dispute related to the Trump administration's efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
Trump Officials Face Cover-Up Allegations After Failed Citizenship Question Push
July 16, 2019, NPR, A United States District Judge of New York filed a request for documents which may show the initial reasoning for the citizenship question on the 2020 Census was to marginalize minority communities.
Citizenship Question Dropped from Census, but Advocates Fear ‘Damage has Been Done’
July 12, 2019, ABC News, While the Citizenship question has been dropped from the 2020 Census, various immigrant advocates fear that debate over this subject may repel immigrants from responding to the Census.
July 11, 2019, CNN, President Donald Trump retreated from his quest to add a question about US citizenship to the 2020 census on Thursday, instead asking government agencies to provide records that could determine a head-count of citizens without polling census-takers directly.
Trump Eyes 2020 with Census Citizenship Question Fight
July 9, 2019, CNN, The Trump Administration is still looking for legal justification to include the Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census despite being rebuked by the Supreme Court.
Justice Department Changes Legal Team Behind Census Citizenship Question Case
July 7, 2019, NPR, The Justice Department announced a major shakeup Sunday in its team of lawyers involved in the ongoing legal battle over the citizenship question the Trump administration wants to add to the 2020 census forms.
Trump administration Says it Will Print Census Without Citizenship Question
July 2, 2019, CNBC, Following the Supreme Court ruling which blocked the inclusion of the Citizenship question on the Census, the Trump Administration finally agreed to proceed without it.
How the Fight Over the Census Citizenship Question Could Rage On
June 29, 2019, NPR, With days before the printing of paper census forms is scheduled to begin, NPR answers the key questions looming over the count.
Supreme Court Leaves Citizenship Question Blocked For Now From 2020 Census
June 27, 2019, NPR, In a defeat for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court leaves the citizenship question blocked for now from the 2020 census, in part because of the government's explanation for why it added it in the first place.