LOS ANGELES – At a press conference today, the partners of the historic ya es hora !HAGASE CONTAR! (It’s Time, Make Yourself Count!) Campaign urged the Latino community to participate in the 2010 Census. In addition to announcing new partners, the campaign, called for the confirmation of Robert Groves to head the U.S. Census Bureau, and condemned the efforts of a small group of organizations calling for a boycott
of the enumeration as a strategy to achieve comprehensive immigration reform.

“The partners in the ya es hora !HAGASE CONTAR! Campaign are committed to ensuring a full count in the 2010 Census,” said Texas State Representative Rafael Anchía, Chairman of the NALEO Educational Fund. “This is only possible if we have the continued support of partner organizations across the country as well as leadership at the Census Bureau and the full support of everyone in the Latino community.”

“A full count of the Latino population will help Latinos build a better future for their families,” said Dr. Jesse Miranda, CEO of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC). “A full count is critical for the continued economic and political progress of the Latino community. An undercount of the Latino community will do serious damage to our families and our neighborhoods. By diminishing the representation of newcomers in our democracy, an undercount will also undermine efforts to achieve
comprehensive immigration reform. Encouraging anyone not to participate in the Census
is simply wrong.”

The U.S. Constitution requires a full count of all residents of the United States, including immigrants. Census statistics determine reapportionment and political representation, and are also used for allocating federal funding for many social and economic programs that benefit the Latino community and the entire country. Additionally, Census data are used for the enforcement of civil rights and anti-discrimination laws, including the Voting Rights Act.

The ya es hora, ¡HAGASE CONTAR! Campaign will focus on promoting the importance of the Census, educating individuals about filling out their Census forms and encouraging households to mail back their responses once they complete their forms. This phase of the coalition’s work builds on the success of the
ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía! Campaign of 2007, which helped mobilize 1.4 million Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) to apply for U.S. citizenship, and the success of the ya es hora ¡Ve y Vota! Campaign of 2008, which
helped motivate a record 9.7 million Latinos to vote in the presidential election.

The ya es hora !HAGASE CONTAR! Campaign is a coalition of national and local Latino organizations and Spanish-language media working to inform and motivate the nearly 50 million U.S. Latinos to fully participate in the 2010 Census. The campaign is lead by national coordinators, including, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), NALEO Educational Fund, Mi Familia Vota Educational Fund, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and media companies Entravision Communications Corporation,
impreMedia, and Univision Communications Inc.

National partners on the campaign include: Comunidad Presbiteriana Hispana & El Pozo de Jacob / The Jacob's Well; Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI); Dominican American National Roundtable (DANR); Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU); The Hispanic Federation; Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA); Hispanic Mega Church Association; Independent Sector; Jesse Miranda Center for Hispanic Leadership; Latino Justice/Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR); League of Women Voters USA; League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF); National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP); National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA); National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC); National
Hispanic Pentecostal Congress; National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc. (NPRC); National Latina Institute on Reproductive Health;

In recent weeks, a growing list of local organizations have joined the campaign, including: Alliance for a Better Community; Colombo Americans for Action; Colorado Immigrant Rights (CIRC); Connecticut Puerto Rican Forum Inc.; Consejo Nacional De Organizaciones Comunitarias (CBO); Contra Costa Faith Works!; Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services Inc.; . Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO);
Hermandad Mexicana Nacional Oxnard; Hermandad Mexicana Nacional East Los Angeles; Hermandad Mexicana Nacional Fontana; Hermandad Mexicana Nacional Palmdale; Hermandad Mexicana Nacional Pacoima; Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas; Hispanic Unity, Miami; The Idaho Community Action Network; The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights; International Institute; Intercambio de
Comunidades; LA Voice/PICO; Latina Initiative; The Latin American Coalition; Los Angeles City College-Workforce Development; Los Angeles Southwest College-Bridges to Success; Mayor of Miami, Manny Diaz; Mexican American Commission of Nebraska; Mexican American Opportunity Foundation; Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Organizacion Hondurena Integrada; Pasadena City College-Community Education
Center; S.O.S. Unity For Dignity; Tenants and Workers United; and UFW Foundation.