SAN DIEGO, CA — Taking his anti-immigrant, hate-filled agenda to yet another level, President Trump signed an executive order today banning the census from counting undocumented immigrants. In a move that goes against the intended purpose of the Census — to count everybody who lives in the nation regardless of citizenship — Trump is doubling down on his efforts to expel, erase and terrorize immigrant communities across the nation.
The decision is sure to draw legal challenges and comes as the administration lost a legal battle to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census in hopes of suppressing participation as the nation readies to redraw congressional districts.
The stakes are high across the nation but specifically in California as it faces a real possibility of losing two congressional seats if the census count is low. Participation rates in San Diego County are above 67.7% and will soon exceed participation rates from 2010 (68%), which is in large part due to the work of community organizations like Alliance San Diego that have been reaching out to residents, household by household, via phone.
Christopher R. Wilson, associate director of Alliance San Diego, said the following:
“While we are working hard to make sure that everybody is counted so that our region gets the resources needed for everything from education and infrastructure, to public health and political representation — especially critical given the public health crisis — Trump is shamefully putting politics before the well-being of the nation. Instead of trying to divide us and single out entire groups of people based on where they came from and the color of their skin, he should focus on trying to save lives and control the runaway pandemic caused by his lack of leadership. This despicable effort by Trump and his cronies -- racists, white supremacists and anti-immigrant hardliners -- is trying to erase our family, friends and neighbors. In doing so, he is trying to limit our political power to stand up to his administration and anyone who would follow his doctrine of hate and divisiveness in the future.”
About Alliance San Diego
Alliance San Diego is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) community empowerment organization working to ensure that all people can achieve their full potential in an environment of harmony, safety, equality, and justice. Our mission is to provide a means for diverse individuals and organizations to share information, collaborate on issues and mobilize for change in the pursuit of social justice, especially in low-income communities and communities of color. We pursue this mission through targeted civic engagement programs and strategic coalitions that focus on specific issues and policy reforms.
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