Press Releases
06/26/2019
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG STATEMENT ON CENSUS CITIZENSHIP QUESTION
Today, following the Supreme Court decision blocking the Trump Administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, Attorney General William Tong encouraged residents of Connecticut to participate in the census and ensure an accurate count.
"This decision is a victory for honest, good government — a rebuke of the Trump Administration's fake and cynical ploy to manipulate the census. The citizenship question has always been a nakedly discriminatory effort to undercount immigrants and thus undercut their voting power and undermine states like Connecticut. This remand may prove to be a limited and temporary victory and we must guard against renewed efforts by the Trump Administration to revive the question. The Office of the Attorney General stands ready with our partner states to maintain the firewall against any effort to invent a new equally dishonest pretext for this partisan and discriminatory ploy," said Attorney General Tong.
Today’s decision came after a coalition of 18 states, 16 local governments and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, led by New York, argued against adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Adding that single question to the census could have discouraged turnout in states with large immigrant populations — having lasting consequences on those states’ political representation and access to critical funds earmarked for education, infrastructure, healthcare, and more.
States across the country, including Connecticut, will now move forward with education and outreach campaigns to ensure the most accurate count so that district lines best reflect local communities and that federal funds are properly appropriated back to states, cities, and counties. The U.S. Census Bureau will conduct "Non-Response Follow Ups" to any household that does not complete the census in its entirety. Residents can avoid a follow up by self-responding.
Under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, census data is strictly confidential and can only be used for statistical purposes. Information provided cannot be used against residents by any government agency or court of law. More information about the Census Bureau’s protection of personal, identifiable information can be found here.
In an effort to reach as many people across the country as possible, the Census Bureau will allow responses online or over the phone in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, and Tagalog. Respondents who respond in print will be able to do so in English or Spanish.
- Twitter: @AGWilliamTong
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov
860-808-5324 (office)
Consumer Inquiries:
860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov