Editor’s note: The following statement was issued Thursday, July 23, 2020 by CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein:

“President Trump issued a memorandum on July 21 that wantonly disregards the Constitution in asserting that his Administration will not include undocumented immigrants in its 2020 Census count for purposes of Congressional apportionment.

“The Coalition on Human Needs has been working faithfully along with its members and allies to ensure that every person is counted in the 2020 Census. We know that an accurate count ensures that communities receive their fair share of education, health and other resources. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is completely clear in basing representation on ‘the whole number of persons in each state.’ The decennial census has been conducted on that basis since the adoption of the 14th Amendment after the Civil War.

“For years, groups have been working to assist the Census Bureau in improving its count in communities of color and of young children, who have been disproportionately missed in previous counts. We have told people about their responsibility to be counted, the benefits to their children and communities, and about the very strong confidentiality protections assured in law. President Trump’s lawless memo cannot be allowed to subvert the accurate count that dedicated Census Bureau staff and volunteer efforts nationwide are working hard to achieve.

“Consistent with the Constitution and the values of this nation, every person counts. The Trump memo, combined with the apparent intent to rush the Census count to completion despite the delays caused by the pandemic, would leave people out lawlessly.

“An accurate count fulfills the constitutional requirement that resources and representation are distributed according to the number of people living in communities. It is disturbingly clear that an accurate count is not what the Trump Administration is seeking.”