FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
President Trump Backs Down From Adding 2020 Census Citizenship Question
Asian Americans Advancing Justice will continue to fight for an accurate count
July 11, 2019 — Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump held a press conference to announce he has ended his political wrangling in court and will not seek further legal action to include the citizenship question on the 2020 Census form. While this is a clear win in the fight to count all persons in the U.S., we will remain vigilant against any additional efforts by the administration to attack our immigrant community.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, responds to President Trump’s press conference with the following statement:
“The 2020 Census is finally free to pursue its true purpose – a fair and accurate count of all persons in the United States. We view this as a clear win for everyone — regardless of party or status — who believes in upholding the U.S. Constitution.”
“This announcement today puts an end to one chapter after more than a year of lies and rhetoric from this administration, whose purpose was to stoke fear and reduce participation within our immigrant communities.”
“However, in light of the president’s executive action, we know that the administration will continue to attack and tear immigrant families apart. Among other things, Asian Americans Advancing Justice is prepared to push back and fight against any new attacks on undocumented immigrants, of which 1.7 million are Asian Americans. Our communities will not be bullied or erased from the 2020 Census.”
“Defeating the citizenship question on the 2020 Census means that our communities can and will be visible in this census. Advancing Justice is committed to getting our community to participate and getting a fair and accurate count of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.”
Media Contacts:
Michelle Boykins, Advancing Justice | AAJC, 202-296-2300 x0144, mboykins@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Milan Chang, Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, (415) 848-7754, milanc@advancingjustice-alc.org
James Woo, Advancing Justice – Atlanta, 404-585-8446, jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Brandon Lee, Advancing Justice – Chicago, 773-271-0899 x200, blee@advancingjustice-chicago.org
Alison Vu, Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, (213) 241-0283, avu@advancingjustice-la.org
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affiliation’s members are: Advancing Justice | AAJC (Washington, DC), Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco), Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, Advancing Justice – Atlanta, and Advancing Justice | Chicago.