Proposed Citizenship Question to 2020 Census is Direct Evidence of a Skewed Political Agenda

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross testified before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee:

“It’s no surprise that support for adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census goes all the way up to President Trump, casting doubt on the Justice Department’s stated reasons for proposing this untested question at the eleventh hour. The president’s support for this unnecessary, untested question is just one more example of this administration’s hostility toward immigrants and people of color. Secretary Ross testified today before Congress that the Constitution requires a count of every person in the United States, including non-citizens, but that statement of fact is not enough. Adding a new, untested question at this late hour will devastate the likelihood of a fair and accurate census. We urge the secretary to stand firm against pressure from the president’s re-election campaign to disrupt and politicize the census.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.