Mayor Jim Kenney and Stephanie Reid, Executive Director of Philly Counts 2020 approved the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York unanimous ruling declaring that President Trump’s attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census counts is unlawful.
Trump’s July memorandum claimed that undocumented migrants should not be counted in the census for purposes of deciding how many members of Congress are allocated to each state.
The court ruled his order violates the federal laws that establish how congressional seats are apportioned. Apportionment is the process of deciding how many members in the House of Representatives each state will receive based on that state’s population.
Kenney and Reid said in a statement that the decision was a victory for the 2020 Census and celebrated what they consider President Trump´s failure to fracture the country. “We applaud this ruling; this is a major win for the 2020 Census. We all know that there are no exceptions regarding immigration status, the census counts every person living in the country. Again, Trump’s attempts to divide the country for his own political benefit have failed.”
In the statement, Kenney and Reid reminded the residents that census responses are confidential.
“This ruling prohibits the Department of Commerce from reporting any information regarding the undocumented status of immigrants in the 2020 Census count. We remind all residents that the census responses are confidential, and will not be shared with any agency or court.”
“The 2020 Census has faced numerous barriers. The Trump’s Administration continues creating fear among immigrants, especially undocumented communities. Immigration is one of our country’s foundations and in Philadelphia, we will not allow these communities to be erased. Immigrants, regardless of their status matter to us. We welcome them and celebrate the contributions to our city.”
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