Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis released the following statement after the United States Supreme Court released their 5-4 decision on whether a citizenship question should be added to the 2020 Census:
“Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to not include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census is a victory. We thank Chief Justice Roberts for siding with Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan and Ginsburg in ensuring that everyone will be counted in the 2020 Census, as required by the U.S. Constitution. In these troubling times, too many families live in fear, and many of them would not have participated in the census if they were forced to answer this intrusive question. LA County is determined to count each resident in our hardest-to-survey communities.
With today’s ruling, the Justices have demonstrated the seriousness of this decision. The process to add a question to the Census requires years, and sometimes decades, of research before a new question is added. Haphazardly including a citizenship question to the 2020 Census would have compromised the accuracy of this census tally and would have undermined the Constitutional purpose of this census, which is to count every resident in the United States. A citizenship question on the 2020 Census would hurt working families who deserve access to affordable health care, housing, and child care. It would jeopardize programs for senior citizens who live off a fixed income and who struggle to make ends meet.
We have a call to action: we must all come together to ensure LA County’s hardest-to-reach communities are counted in the 2020 Census. With today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, we strongly encourage all people residing in Los Angeles County to participate in the 2020 Census and help ensure LA County receives its fair share of federal funds and political representation so we, together, can help shape our collective future.”