NALEO Educational Fund Urges Opposition to Intrusive, Costly Amendment Requiring Residents to Answer Questions on Immigration Status on Census 2010

The U.S. Senate is currently debating HR 2847, the bill which appropriates FY2010 funding for the Commerce Department, including the 2010 Census operations. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) have proposed an amendment that would require residents to answer a question on immigration status as part of the 2010 Census.

TAKE ACTION NOW

In a letter to the U.S. Senate, the NALEO Educational Fund has urged the Senate to oppose the Vitter-Bennett amendment, because it would undermine the goal of the U.S. Constitution, which is to ensure that we have an accurate portrait of America in every decennial Census. We invite you to join our efforts by calling your U.S. Senators and telling them to vote NO on the Vitter-Bennett Amendment. You can find the phone number of your Senators on the Senate’s website.

TALKING POINTS

To assist in your calls and your advocacy, we have provided the following brief talking points:

• The Vitter amendment fundamentally undermines the goal of the U.S. Constitution which is to ensure that we have an accurate portrait of America in every decennial Census. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution clearly states that the apportionment of members of the House of Representatives is based on a full count of residents in each state. The 14th Amendment clearly contemplates that persons without voting rights will be counted in the Census for apportionment purposes – the amendment was enacted when women and Native Americans did not have the right to vote, and the Amendment did not exclude them from the count.

• Asking about immigration status in the 2010 Census is unnecessarily intrusive and will raise concerns among all respondents – both native-born and immigrant – about the confidentiality and privacy of information provided to the government. This will deter many residents from responding, and result in an inaccurate Census count.

• If enacted, the Vitter amendment would stop the 2010 Census in its tracks and prevent the forms from being mailed next spring. The amendment would require a new question to be added to a broad range of materials used for the 2010 count. The resulting delay would prevent Congressional reapportionment after 2010 and redistricting of congressional and state legislative districts. Ultimately, the Vitter amendment would waste $7 billion in research, planning, and preparation that has occurred for Census 2010.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

The Vitter-Bennett amendment would be detrimental to an accurate 2010 Census and goes against the history of this country. An accurate Census count is essential and fundamental to what ever issue you are passionate about: children, youth, seniors, healthcare, political influence, sustainability, economic development. The Census can only be successful if EVERYONE is counted. The Vitter Amendment would doom the 2010 Census to failure.

As a Latino elected or appointed official, or a community representative, you have a critical opportunity to demonstrate your leadership on this issue. By calling your Senators to urge opposition to the Vitter amendment, you can help ensure that the 2010 Census produces the most accurate count possible of the nation’s population.

For further information about the Vitter-Bennett Amendment, the 2010 Census and the NALEO Educational Fund’s advocacy efforts, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Gloria Montaño Greene at 202-546-2536, or gmontanogreene@naleo.org.