New York, NY, March 27, 2018 … The following is a statement from Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s announcement that it intends to add a citizenship status question to the 2020 Census questionnaire:

We oppose this alarming and disruptive action, which is certain to cause fear and result in an incomplete census, disproportionately impacting minorities and those most in need of resources. This decision, which can only be described as politically motivated, compromises the Census Bureau’s integrity and constitutional responsibility to conduct a fair and accurate count of every person living in the United States. This is bad for the Census, bad for our communities, and bad for America.

An accurate, once-in-a-decade census is essential to ensure fair representation and to help fairly allocate government resources. This late decision to include an unnecessary citizenship question jeopardizes that objective – and must be seen as a continuation of the administration’s ongoing campaign against immigrants.

We will work with our coalition allies in the civil rights and business communities to reverse this decision – in Congress and, if necessary, in the courts.