The Trump administration has backed off a controversial plan to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census, a victory for advocates who said the addition would have discouraged immigrants from participating in the once-in-a-decade count.
"We can confirm that the decision has been made to print the 2020 Decennial Census questionnaire without a citizenship question, and that the printer has been instructed to begin the printing process," a Department of Justice attorney wrote to plaintiffs in related lawsuits.
The message ends a 15-month saga that pitted Trump officials against immigration advocates who said such an intrusive question would keep foreign settlers from participating in the all-important census that helps determine community resources and the makeup of congressional districts.
Plaintiffs who sued the government over the issue said the addition of the question -- "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" -- would discourage immigrants from participating, harm the count's accuracy and dilute political representation and federal dollars for states that tend to vote Democratic.
The move to print the census without the question came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Commerce Department had failed to justify its proposal.
"The evidence tells a story that does not match the explanation (Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross) gave for his decision," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. "The sole stated reason seems to have been contrived."
Reaction was swift among civil rights and immigrant rights groups that had challenged the administration's effort to add the question.
"In light of the Supreme Court's ruling, the Trump administration had no choice but to proceed with printing the 2020 census forms without a citizenship question," said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project.
"Everyone in America counts in the census, and today's decision means we all will."
Gov. Cuomo vowed to "never allow this administration to get away with their hateful agenda."
"The Supreme Court last week made it clear that this anti-immigrant question was unconstitutional and that the census is too important to play partisan politics," Cuomo said in a statement. "For once, President Trump has listened to reason and the facts, and dropped this cynical attempt to weaponize one of the underpinnings of our very democracy.
"By ending his bid to add this blatantly discriminatory question to an objective process, we can continue to do our work to ensure every New Yorker is counted and receives fair representation in Washington."
President Trump had suggested delaying the census in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
"I have asked the lawyers if they can delay the Census, no matter how long," he tweeted.
But administration officials relented, clearing the way for the printing to start.
(c)2019 New York Daily News
