ICIRR vows to ensure that immigrants will be counted in 2020 Census

On March 26, the US Department of Commerce announced that it will include a question about US citizenship in the 2020 Census.  The following is the statement of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR):

Ensuring a complete and accurate Census count, as required by the US Constitution, is in the interest of all Illinoisans.  We should all strive for all of our communities to be fully and fairly represented at all levels of government and to receive our full and fair share of public resources.  The Administration’s inclusion of a question about US citizenship to the 2020 Census, coming amidst a panoply of policies that have terrified immigrant communities, is intended to further scare immigrants and distort the count.

 

ICIRR will fight this move and push for full participation of immigrant communities in the Census.

ICIRR applauds Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the other attorneys general and elected officials who are seeking to block the citizenship question.  We will continue to work with Illinois elected officials from both parties, who should understand the stakes for our state, to identify resources and strategies to make sure that immigrants and other historically undercounted communities know about and respond to the Census.  And we will advocate for safe ways for all Illinois residents to be counted.  The Census is too important to be politicized, and ICIRR will continue to work to bring together all parties to ensure a complete count.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a statewide coalition of more than 130 organizations dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. For more information, visit www.icirr.org.