Trump’s Immigration Stance Is Making the Census More Difficult Than Ever
- Decennial count determines federal funds, congressional seats
- Census Bureau needs money to boost efforts to reach immigrants
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President Donald Trump’s tough immigration stance has made the monumental task of census takers more difficult and expensive than ever.
Millions of foreign-born residents are expected to hide from or avoid the 2020 count because of the political climate created by Trump, census staff and civil-rights groups say. Their reluctance to participate likely will worsen if Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose department houses the Census Bureau, accepts Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ demand to include citizenship status in the survey for the first time. A decision is expected by March 31.