TULSA, Oklahoma – The goal of this year’s census is to count all people living in the United States, whether or not they are citizens, and including those who are undocumented immigrants.
The 10 questions in the census do not ask those filling out the questionnaire to indicate their immigration status, nor does it ask for a Social Security number or an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number).
“If we don’t count ourselves as Latinos, as has happened in other years, we are going to lose federal funds for our programs and services here in the community,” said Rosa Rosales, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, in a news release posted on the organization’s Web site.
Despite a pro-census media campaign by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the agency’s Hispanic partners, there is another campaign under way aimed at convincing undocumented immigrants to abstain from the national count. Known as “Legalization Before Enumeration,” it is being led by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders.
According to the coalition’s president, Miguel Rivera, there are more than 20,000 churches represented by the organization, and among those churches there are close to 1 million undocumented immigrants.
On the Web Site, Rivera states that the message to undocumented immigrants to not take part in the census “is a radical warning that the Hispanic evangelical clergy is making to demand that the U.S. Congress pass a fair immigration reform.”
Susan Templeton in the communication department of the Census Bureau’s Kansas City regional office, said in a telephone interview that “everyone will be counted: citizens, residents or immigrants.” Besides, she said, “all the information is confidential. It is the law.”
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