Thread by @damemagazine

Last night, the @CommerceGov said it would add a citizenship question to the #2020Census. In theory, it’s about getting an accurate count for purposes of the Voting Rights Act. In reality, it’s a racist xenophobic move with severe long-term consequences. commerce.gov/sites/commerce…

The census is an incredibly important tool that touches so many aspects of American lives. It’s the foundational data for everything from voting rights for black people, median earnings for women versus men, fertility rates, and more.
damemagazine.com/2017/05/15/cen… #2020Census

The census is also the tool used to draw federal and state political districts and it helps determine what federal dollars get spent where. damemagazine.com/2017/05/15/cen… #2020Census

The knowledge that people will be asked about their citizenship status will certainly create fear among immigrants, both documented and undocumented. Given Trump’s stance on immigrants, that’s no surprise. #2020Census

When, inevitably, immigrants don’t participate in the census out of fear citizenship questions will form a basis for deportation, that will result in undercounts. When areas are undercounted, they end up under-resourced because federal dollars are under-allocated. #2020Census

Undercounts also affect redistricting. Urban areas in particular will be hit by that, as large swaths of their population may not get counted at all. So the power of cities and the power of immigrants keeps getting diluted. nytimes.com/2018/03/26/us/… #2020Census

Two groups have already said they’ll fight this. First, former AG @EricHolder’s group, the @DemRedistrict, will argue that including a citizenship question will lower the census response rate and create an inaccurate count. thehill.com/blogs/blog-bri… #2020Census

California has already sued, saying that the citizenship question is unconstitutional. The Constitution requires a count of all “free persons” but the citizenship question would result in non-citizens not being counted. washingtonpost.com/news/morning-m… #2020Census

Make no mistake: this is a move to scare immigrants and also to shift power from urban to rural areas, a shift that will massively favor Republicans. Conservatives know they don’t actually have the numbers to win races, so they have to cheat the system instead. #2020Census