Advancing Justice | AAJC Declares Victory on Citizenship Question

Says Lawsuit Remains Open Until Administration Concedes Defeat on the Record
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For Immediate Release
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Michelle Boykins (202) 296-2300, ext. 0144 mboykins@advancingjustice-aajc.org

Washington, D.C. — July 11, 2019 — Following the press conference by President Donald Trump this evening, John C. Yang of Advancing Justice | AAJC (Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC) issued the following response:

“Today is a good day for the American people. We fought in the court of law and we won. The citizenship question will not be on the 2020 Census! This is a clear win for all of us who fought for a fair and accurate census that is free from politically-motivated questions.”

The census questionnaire continues to be printed without the citizenship question. And, as President Trump and Attorney General Barr confirmed, injunctions preventing the addition of the citizenship question to the decennial census remain in place.

“Our case in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, one of the so-called ‘logistical impediments’ by Attorney General Barr, will continue until we are provided iron-clad proof that the Trump administration will not continue with its track record of deceit and will not go back on its word to the American public that a citizenship question will not appear on the 2020 Census form.”

“Today, Trump and Attorney General Barr purposefully but erroneously aligned the collection of 2020 census data with this new executive order. We know it was an attempt to continue to confuse and invoke fear. But with this win today, our communities will be visible and counted in the 2020 Census and can believe in the strong Title 13 data privacy laws that exist to protect all of our information that is shared on the census form.”  

“The U.S. Census Bureau, and any other government agency or official, cannot use census data to help the administration target undocumented Americans or other marginalized communities. As we did with our lawsuit against the citizenship question, we will continue to be an ‘impediment’ to any efforts to derail a fair and secure census, and to protect the rights of all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.”  

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Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC has a mission to advance the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all. Advancing Justice - AAJC has served as a member to numerous advisory committees to the Census Bureau since 2000, including the Decennial Census Advisory Committee, the 2010 Census Advisory Committee, and, currently, the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations. In its advisory role, AAJC assists the Census Bureau in understanding what research programs would help the Bureau effectively to address the cultural differences and intricacies in various hard-to-reach communities, particularly in Asian American communities, in order to get the most accurate count possible. Additionally, Advancing Justice - AAJC currently co-chairs the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Census Task Force.

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