U.S. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin says the Trump administration wants to put the citizenship question on the 2020 census to discourage Hispanic American voters from being counted for fear information could be used to possibly deport one of their relatives. On July 8 Senator Durbin held a press conference to discuss the impact of including the census citizenship question:
“I would defy anyone in Washington to explain the position of the Trump administration when it comes to the census. Four different federal courts have ruled that the idea of putting a citizenship question on the census has not been justified or explained by the Trump administration.”
Adding the citizenship question would cost Illinois a lot of money in federal funds, said Durbin.
“For every person not counted in the census in Illinois, we will lose $1800 a year. If we don’t count those people, we don’t get that money. That means federal tax dollars go to a different state.”
Illinois is one of the states that have been fighting the inclusion of the citizenship question on the 2020 census, saying that the count will not be accurate if people are afraid to participate.
The Trump administration wants a citizenship question added to the Census. If the citizenship question is included and it does discourage Hispanic American voters from taking the Census due to fears of detention and potential deportation, the result could be a major undercount of the population and change US voting districts. The US Supreme court ruled against the Trump administration’s request that a citizenship question is added to the 202 Census in a 5-4 decision.
The attorneys at Chicago’s Godoy Law Office fight for rights of immigrants in Illinois and help immigrants navigate the complex and numerous immigration policies, procedures, and regulations. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office at 855.554.6369.
