Marin Voice: Attempt to skip undocumented immigrants is unconstitutional

Marin IJ News Article by Omar Carrera and Chandra Alexandre

In June 2019, Canal Alliance and Community Action Marin were selected by the Marin County Board of Supervisors to lead countywide efforts to count all residents in the 2020 Census, with a particular focus on increasing response rates in historically undercounted communities.

Since then, we have successfully partnered with nonprofit organizations, city and county government agencies, state and federal census offices and community members to “get out the count” and encourage everyone to respond to the census questionnaire. Canal Alliance and Community Action Marin affirm the intent stated in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that the census should reflect an exact population count irrespective of a person’s race, gender, citizenship or economic status.

Coming just one year after a Supreme Court decision preventing President Donald Trump’s administration efforts to include a citizenship question on the census, this statement is just the latest attack by the president’s administration in its ongoing war on low-income minority communities.

In violation of basic civil rights, this action seeks to further exclude and marginalize Latino immigrants, and creates a chilling effect for those who wish to participate, comply with census mandates and make their voices heard. The administration is attempting to redefine which people count and scare immigrants from participating in the census.

Please stand with us in opposition to any attempt by the president’s administration to diminish their voices. We are stronger and more resilient together.

Read rest of this article on Marin IJ.