JOSE E. SERRANO 
15TH DISTRICT. New YORK APPROPRIATIONS

 

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The Honorable Secretary Wilbur Ross
US. Department of Commerce

1401 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC. 20230

Dear Secretary Ross:

We write in response to the U.S. Department of Justice?s (DOJ) proposal to add an additional
untested subject to the upcoming decennial census. Adopting this question on citizenship and legal
status will negatively affect response rates, jeopardize the accuracy of the collected surveys, and
deter many people from participating. The 2020 Census already faces signi?cant planning and
operational challenges, and we urge you to reject this misguided and problematic proposal.

As you know, the Census Bureau is already in the final stages of preparing the questions and format
of the 2020 Decennial Census. Over the past several years, the Bureau has tested various question
options, languages, and other important issues. To the best of our knowledge, at no point has the
Census Bureau considered including a question on citizenship. In fact, the list of topics for the
decennial census provided to Congress in March 2017 and available for public review does not
include a question on citizenship. Given that the Bureau must submit its questions and form to
Congress by March of this year, it is very unlikely that the Bureau would even be able to
appropriately test the impact of such a question on response rates and other issues.

There is also signi?cant reason to question the need for including a question on citizenship on the
2020 Census form. This information is already collected via the American Community Survey,
and despite intimations to the contrary, this information has been appropriately used in a variety
of Voting Rights Act cases without concern. It is also noteworthy that the request for this potential
change came from Justice Management Division, rather than the Civil Rights Division
which actually enforces the Voting Rights Act.

It is also important to recognize that the communities most affected by the Voting Rights Act have
not requested this question for inclusion in the upcoming census. Nor has the Census Bureau?s
National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations (NAC) requested this
change. This lack of stakeholder support further undermines this request.

Lastly, this is a potentially unwise change based on ongoing problems faced by the Bureau. Due
to budgetary and time constraints, the Census Bureau is already facing serious challenges to its
planned preparations for the 2020 Census. Last year, the Bureau was forced to cancel a ?eld-test
of Spanish language surveys as well as the testing of non?traditional addresses located in Puerto
Rico and on tribal reservations. Two locations were also removed from the Bureau?s end-to-end
test of decennial census systems. Furthermore, the Bureau has delayed plans to open local census
of?ces and conduct outreach campaigns in support of the 2020 Census. Given these serious
concerns, the Census Bureau should refrain from adding further problems to this process.

Since 1790, every census has included citizens and non-citizens alike. In fact, the Constitution of
the United States mandates that the number of ?persons? be counted. That mission will be
threatened if the Bureau accedes to the Justice Department?s request. Disrupting preparations for
the 2020 Census to add an additional untested subject, especially at this pivotal point, would
undermine both the funding and years we have already spent on research and testing. Congress
heavily relies on the census to allocate funding for vital federal grant programs and for the
distribution of much-needed resources to our communities; this remains especially true for
decennial surveys, which also directly impact the redistricting process.

It is our obligation to ensure that the Bureau receives accurate information about our population.
We must also ensure that all of our communities are properly accounted for, and that each
household is correctly counted the ?rst time. On behalf of our constituencies, we urge you to
oppose this proposal. We thank you for your attention to this critical matter and look forward to
?lrther supporting the Bureau as it prepares for the decennial census.

Sincerely,

p. 6 7175/

. . Serrano Gra Meng
ember of Congress Me er of Congress