AP18:043
For Immediate Release
March 26, 2018
Contact:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575
Secretary of State Alex Padilla Statement on Decision to Add Citizenship Question to 2020 US Census
SACRAMENTO – California Secretary of State Alex Padilla released the following statement after the United States Commerce Department announced that a question about citizenship status would be added to the 2020 US Census.
"The Trump Administration’s decision today rolls back the clock on civil rights in America. By including a question about citizenship on the decennial Census, the Trump Administration has cast aside science, common sense, and the Constitution."
"The citizenship question is the latest attempt by President Trump to stoke the fires of anti-immigrant hostility. He’s demonized Mexicans, insulted Africans and Central Americans, discriminated against Muslims, and torn families apart with harsh deportation orders."
"Now, in one fell swoop, the US Commerce Department has ignored its own protocols and years of preparation in a concerted effort to suppress a fair and accurate census count from our diverse communities. The Administration’s claim that it is simply seeking to protect voting rights is not only laughable, but contemptible."
"The Trump Administration has a deplorable record on voting rights – reversing positions on key voting rights cases, establishing a commission premised on baseless accusations of massive voter fraud, appointing key advisors who have championed voter suppression policies, and failing to hold Russia accountable for interfering in the 2016 elections."
"Californians will not stand by while Trump continuously attacks our communities. We fought his travel ban. We fought his fraud commission. And we will fight this decision in the courts."
###
Follow the California Secretary of State on Twitter and Facebook.
