Census deadline looms for public to comment on adding citizenship question

Deborah Barfield Berry | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Groups on both sides of the Trump administration’s decision to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census have until 11:59 p.m. EDT Tuesday to share comments with the federal agency.

The debate over adding the question has stirred protests and letter-writing campaigns. It has also been the subject of congressional hearings, legislation and lawsuits.

Groups have called on supporters to post comments on the Census Bureau website. The comments are part of the bureau’s preparations for the upcoming decennial. The population survey is key to determining the distribution of federal funds and allocating Congressional districts.

By late Monday, the agency had received more than 39,000 comments. The comments, which are public, will not be available for viewing until after the period closes, according to the Census website.

Earlier this year, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced that the agency would add the question, saying it is “necessary to provide complete and accurate Census block level data."

Civil rights groups argue the question is unnecessary and have filed lawsuits to reverse the decision.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote a letter Monday urging the Census Bureau to eliminate the question, saying it “only serves to instill fear among immigrant communities, decrease participation, and negatively impact the outcome and accuracy of the 2020 Census.”

Democrats have introduced bills to undo the decision, but the measures have little chance of passing the Republican-controlled Congress.

Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, told reporters at the National Association of Black Journalists conference on Friday that the Census is being “manipulated” and “weaponized” for political gains.

The Justice Department asked Census officials in December to “reinstate’’ the question, which was last asked in 1950 on the short-form Census questionnaire most people receive. Justice officials said the information would help in enforcing a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act designed to protect against discrimination in voting.

Supporters of the decision, including Republican lawmakers, argue the question should be asked.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, chairman of the House Judiciary’s subcommittee on Constitution and Civil Justice, praised the Trump administration for adding the question.

“I hope we continue working toward a 2020 Census that accurately represents the American people,” he said at a hearing in June.

Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-La., said he wants to know how many American citizens are in the country.

‘’If we don’t know how many actual citizens we have, then we don’t know where we need to divide districts," he said earlier this year. "We don’t know how many representatives each state needs. Right now, it’s based on just numbers of populations and some of those are illegal citizens."