APDU Response to Memorandum on the Apportionment Base Following the 2020 Census

A statement from the APDU Board of Directors.

On July 21, 2020 the Trump Administration issued a memorandum on apportionment counts from the 2020 Census suggesting that unauthorized migrants would be excluded from the counts.

At a time when the decennial census is already beset by unprecedented challenges, this new disruption further threatens the accuracy of the 2020 Census count. Regardless of whether or not the memorandum withstands legal challenges, its messaging will likely reduce census participation among all residents of the United States, undercounting not only unauthorized migrants but also citizens and authorized migrants who live in mixed-status households.

A complete and accurate census of all residents of the United States is critical for the proper functioning of federal, state, and local government agencies as well as businesses and organizations that rely on federal statistics to operate effectively. America needs a full count of all individuals in the United States because all people use our roads and mass transit, drink our clean water, use our electricity, require access to emergency services, and buy goods and services from our businesses. Without a full count, we cannot accurately allocate public or private investments to ensure a full functioning economy or adequate public services are available.

We urge the Administration to immediately retract this memorandum before it has an opportunity to influence the public’s willingness to respond to the decennial census operations now underway across the country.