WASHINGTON, D.C., June 27, 2019 – Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Department of Commerce v. New York, to not allow the Trump Administration’s citizenship question to be included in the 2020 census at this point but to remand the issue to the district court level, AFJ President Nan Aron released the following statement:
“The Supreme Court is wholly justified in questioning the motives of the Trump Administration in trying to include a citizenship question in the census. We now know, thanks to evidence that has come to light, that there was a clear political motive for a citizenship question on the census with the goal of increasing the political power of ‘non-Hispanic whites.’ Any attempt now by the Trump Administration to invent a new rationale for including the question would be laughable. This ruling should spell the end of the administration’s attempt at such a racist, cynical power grab. Meanwhile, we join our allies in the civil and immigration rights communities who are calling for all people in the U.S. to take part in the census and be counted. That is how we ensure all our communities are fairly represented in Congress and receive critical resources for education, health care, economic development and transportation.”