State Attorney General Bob Ferguson Tuesday announced he will join a multi-state coalition to sue the Trump administration over its decision to include a question about citizenship status in the 2020 U.S. Census.
Census has not asked about citizenship status since 1950, Ferguson said.
Ferguson released the following statement:
“The Census Bureau’s own research reveals asking people about their citizenship status could significantly undermine its Constitutional mandate: an accurate count of everyone in the United States, regardless of immigration status. If Washington state’s large immigrant population isn’t accurately counted, the impact on our Congressional representation and billions of dollars in federal funds our state receives could be jeopardized,” Ferguson said in a news release.
“I won’t allow the Trump administration to play politics with the Census at the expense of all Washingtonians.”
Gov. Jay Inslee also released a statement:
“Between under-funding the 2020 Census and making changes that will suppress participation by already under-represented populations, it’s clear this administration is trying to sabotage a critical tool for making informed policy decisions and ensuring fair representation,” Inslee said.
Ferguson said has been looking at this issue for weeks. In February, he joined 18 other Attorneys General and the governor of Colorado in a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross arguing that a question regarding citizenship “would significantly depress participation, causing a population under count that would disproportionately harm states and cities with large immigrant communities.”
Ferguson will join a multi-state lawsuit announced Tuesday by New York. The lawsuit will challenge the administration’s decision to add the question to the Census on constitutional and statutory grounds.
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