This Decision Needs to Be Reversed

The news that the Trump Administration is seeking to add a new question about citizenship status in the 2020 Census is a disturbing development that fits into a larger pattern of the Trump Administration and their Republican allies.

In América our Constitution protects all persons, not just citizens. That is because welcoming refugees and immigrants to our nation is a defining feature of our past, present and future. That is because we are nation whose motto speaks powerfully to the idea of inclusion: “Out of Many, One.” That is because we are a diverse nation that is engaged in a remarkable and unfinished project — to forge a nation just, equal and free.

This is an attack on who we are as a country and how we operate as a democracy.

Being counted as part of the nation is not some technical or bureaucratic issue; it’s about counting as a member of our society. Unfortunately, this announcement is but another plank in the Trump Administration’s war against immigrants and another example of its open hostility to representative democracy in América.

Having the federal government inquire about citizenship status will sow fear among immigrant families, suppress votes and participation in American civic life among people of color, and put the thumb on the scale of democracy to undermine the political power of diverse communities. The decision needs to be reversed.

Frank Sharry, Executive Director of América’s Voice.

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