New York, NY – The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) opposes the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision to add a citizenship status question to the the 2020 Census survey, which we believe would undermine its accuracy and fairness.

Particularly at a time when immigrant communities are already fearful of the federal government, adding an untested and costly citizenship question to the 2020 Census will cause response rates among such populations to drop precipitously, further compounding historic undercounts.

“Since these once-in-a-decade surveys are the basis for determining funding and political representation, undercounting populations would undermine the integrity of our representative democracy,” said David Bernstein, President and CEO of JCPA. “The question’s inclusion would deny fair representation in Congress and the states, and adequate federal funding for vital human needs programs that rely on accurate population data.”

We call on Congress to reject this question and enable the Census Bureau to obtain the most accurate and full count possible.