Thread: CA: REGION: Proposal would require census to count illegal..

REGION: Proposal would require census to count illegal immigrants

Asking for immigrants' status would reduce participation, activists say

By EDWARD SIFUENTES
Posted: Friday, October 23, 2009 7:40 pm | 1 Comment

Local Latino rights activists blasted a plan that would require the U.S. Census to ask people whether they are in the country illegally.

Activists said the proposal being considered in Congress is irresponsible and unconstitutional. But anti-illegal immigration activists say it is long overdue.

The plan is contained in an amendment to a funding bill for the 2010 census. It was proposed by Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and could be taken up by the Senate as soon as next week.

Civil and immigrant rights groups have held several news conferences this week in opposition to the amendment, saying that it was gaining silent momentum in the Senate.

Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, and chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus, a congressional group that advocates for stricter immigration policies, said he supports the proposal.

"Historically, we've asked about citizenship on the long form of the census questionnaire," Bilbray said. "There's no reason we can't be asking in the short form."

The census, taken every 10 years, counts every person living in the country. It has never asked specifically whether a person is in the country illegally.

The American Community Survey taken every two years asks for demographic information and estimates the foreign-born population, but does not ask whether a person is in the country illegally.

Vitter has said that counting illegal immigrants would help exclude them when new political districts are redrawn after the census. He said in a written statement that the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the country distort political districts in favor of states with large immigrant populations, such as California.

"If the current census plan goes ahead, the inclusion of noncitizens toward apportionment will artificially increase the population count in certain states, and that will likely result in the loss of congressional seats for nine other states, including Louisiana," Vitter said.

Immigrant and civil rights advocates say the measure is a ploy to scare immigrants from participating in the census.

"The immigrant community already feels like they are in the cross hairs; this would put them even more in the cross hairs," said Angela Kelley, vice president for immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington.

Kristen Clarke, a spokeswoman for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said that the Vitter-Bennett amendment would violate the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which she said requires that all people be counted for the purpose of reapportionment.

The census has long missed minorities disproportionately, Clarke said.

In 2000, the Census bureau noted for the first time an overcount of 1.3 million people, mostly because of duplicate counts of whites with multiple residences. About 4.5 million people were missed, mostly blacks and Latinos.

Clarke said the amendment probably would result in a larger undercount of minorities next year.

Further complicating matters, some immigrant rights groups are calling on Latinos to boycott the 2010 census as a form of protest against what they say is harsh enforcement of immigration policies, including work and home sweeps.

Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican American Political Association in Los Angeles and one of the leading proponents of the boycott, said he opposes the Vitter-Bennett amendment.

"It smacks of racism and nativism," Lopez said.

Gus Chavez, a retired San Diego State University administrator and longtime Latino activist, said sending mixed messages to the community could hurt participation in next year's census.

"We must encourage participation and urge everyone to join us in calling for the inclusion of all Latinos and Latinas in the 2010 census," Chavez said.

www.nctimes.com

Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican American Political Association in Los Angeles

If I were a congressman I would propose a law stating that any such organization advocate ONLY FOR actual citizens of such a groups descent. Any statements by such a group advocating for IAs of the groups descent would be banned as being treasonous!

See:
ALERT Senators to Vote the Census to County US Citizens ONLY!
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-175091-.html

(send an email or free fax through Californians for Populations Stabilization (CAPS) website)

Activists said the proposal being considered in Congress is irresponsible and unconstitutional

I'm not quite sure that first, the constitution of the United States provides rights to non-citizens and second, that the constitution contains any language about questions contained in the census form. I would like just one of the "activists" to provide the section number they're referring to.