Democrats: Asking citizenship on census is ‘attack on our democracy’

GOPUSA

3/28/2018

Source …..

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s decision to ask all Americans about their citizenship on the 2020 census undercuts American democracy.

Mr. Perez joins a host of anti-Trump organizations who are blasting the administration, which announced Monday it would ask about citizenship on the basic census form.

“This is a craven attack on our democracy and a transparent attempt to intimidate immigrant communities,” Mr. Perez said.

The census has regularly asked citizenship in the past, and at least three different government surveys still ask about it — though they don’t cover the same population size as the decennial census, which is supposed to include every person residing in the U.S. at the time it’s taken.

Mr. Perez and other anti-Trump activists say they believe the question is being included in order to intimidate people into not responding to the census. They say that could tamp down on responses from immigrants, who would then be undercounted, and that could cost those communities political power or government assistance.

The Trump administration counters that it needs to know citizenship so it can better enforce the Voting Rights Act.