STATEN ISLAND, NY — Just today President Donald Trump signed a memo that aims to bar undocumented immigrants living in the country from being included in the 2020 Census for purposes of deciding how many members of Congress are apportioned to each state. Yesenia Mata, executive director of La Colmena, and Cesar Vargas, New York’s first undocumented attorney, released the following statement:
«Today’s executive order once again shows Trump desperately trying to prevent undocumented immigrants from being counted for the 2020 Census. The President, however, can’t stop immigrants from being counted. The reality is that the Census has already gone out and it does not include a documentation question after the Supreme Court ruling, making it practically impossible for undocumented residents to not be counted», said Yesenia Mata, executive director of La Colmena.
«Undocumented immigrants have been the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic and the results show that these communities have had the lowest response rates. We are going to do everything possible to ensure that all our undocumented immigrant neighbors are counted», she pointed out.
«The White House’s executive order is blatantly unconstitutional and Trump will lose in court,» added Cesar Vargas, New York’s first undocumented attorney.
