Southern California congressional members protest Census citizenship question

Kitty Felde/KPCC
Congressman Xavier Becerra in front of Capitol
Oct. 22, 2009 | Kitty Felde | KPCC

Next spring, the U.S. Census begins its once-a-decade survey of people living in America. Two Republican senators want census takers to ask one more question at each household. Some Democrats don’t like that question at all.

The amendment by Republican senators David Vitter of Louisiana and Robert Bennett of Utah would withhold funding for the 2010 Census unless it includes a question about citizenship status. A coalition of black, Hispanic, and Asian lawmakers call the last minute amendment a political ploy designed to discourage immigrants from participating in the census.

U.S. News

"There’s lots riding on this."

Democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles says federal spending decisions are based on census numbers. So are decisions about how many members of Congress each state should get.

"We need to have the full slate of representatives that we’re entitled to. And if you don’t have accurate count, you do run the risk of losing a member of Congress that should be representing California."

That’s not all, says Congressman Mike Honda. The Silicon Valley Democrat, who chairs the Asian Pacific American Caucus, says adding one more question means reprinting millions of census forms.

"It is simply too late and too expensive to shift gears in this point in the process."

The Bennett-Vitter amendment could come up for a vote in the next few weeks. Census forms go out in the mail early next year.

Delaware Bob
3 months, 2 weeks ago

"Some Democrats don’t like that question at all".

What's the matter with these Democrats? We should know how many illegal aliens we have in this Country so we know how many we have to deport...but then, do you think the illegal aliens would really answer the question? If I robbed a bank, and they asked me if I robbed the bank, I'd so. "NO".

How about we just get rid of all the illegal aliens and we wouldn't have to worry about if they get counted or no not...or count them on the way out. That might work.

Brittanicus
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Sen. David Vitter-Bennett has been offering an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill that would require the U.S. Census Bureau to add questions regarding immigration & citizenship status of 20 to 30 million plus illegal immigrants and families in the 2010 decennial census. If these questions are not asked it is certain that--ALL--these illegal aliens will be counted in the census and states will lose billions of dollars in federal funds to states infamously designated as SANCTUARY STATES such as CALIFORNIA and gain Congressional seats (and electoral college votes) due to this counting of illegal aliens.DEMAND FROM YOUR SENATORS THAT SEN. VITTERS’ AMENDMENT BE INCLUDED. Only citizens and permanent residents should be counted. Just may be citizens and legal residents should--abstain--from being counted in the 2010, if the Democrats insist in illegal immigrants who broke our sovereignty laws. California--A SANCTUARY STATE -- taxpayers have already suffered enough from there incompetent state--JUDAS--politicians, who sold them out to open border lobbyists catering to millions of illegal immigrant families. That's why the once beautiful state is sitting on the edge of monolithic insolvency, for supporting foreign nationals with government welfare benefits. Only--Sanctuary State are the ones who demanding that their huge populations should be counted, because they are in desperate need of money from Washington. This is because of all the financial damage the illegal alien occupancy has produced in their states. Politicians have all but committed treason by giving preferences to foreign nationals over bona-fide citizens and sincere legal residents.

Call and blast your Senators and Representative at 202-224-3121 in Washington. Overwhelming the switchboard with your calls, as it is having an outstanding effect of--MILLIONS of angry voters. THEY ARE BEGINNING TO LISTEN AND REACT? INFORM THEM DO YOUR DUTY OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES ON RE-ELECTION DAY? Tell them you want a PERMANENT E-Verify for--EVERY WORKER, a secure double layer fence and--REAL--enforcement against sanctuary state policies. Read undisclosed facts, statistics and lawmakers immigration enforcement grades of politicians at NUMBERSUSA. UNEARTH the corruption in government at JUDICIAL WATCH. Your voice is needed to halt OVERPOPULATION and American Worker survival. Demand NO-MORE-AMNESTIES. They should--GO--home and come through the front door, like millions of honest legal immigrants? Report any irregularities in your workplace to ICE. Be a patriotic American, Whistle-Blower and inform of illegal activity to ICE. Your job--COULD BE NEXT?

Tara
3 months, 2 weeks ago

what do you expect from becerra? after all, he is a race/ethnicity hustler. the problem is he's expecting to harvest more federal dollars for an illegal, undocumented and unwanted population of latinos in the u.s. isn't it enough that we provide many of them with wages, their many u.s. born children with social services, medical, educational, WIC, food stamps etc. ad infinitum? that they bring down the neighborhoods where they live to a third world level? that they've been brainwashed by the mexican government into believing that they're actually entitled to all of this, and more? how much more can this country take from a generally low performing, highly dependent, group of people?

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