Hispanic Federation Statement on Trump’s Unconstitutional and Unenforceable Census Memorandum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 21, 2020
Contact:
Gabriela Benazar
917-723-0506
gbenazar-contractor@hispanicfederation.org
New York, NY – Hispanic Federation President Frankie Miranda issued the following statement condemning President Trump’s latest attempt to exclude non-citizens from being counted in the 2020 Census:
“Today’s memorandum from the White House instructing the U.S. Department of Commerce to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Decennial Census count is yet another tired and sad attempt on the part of the Trump Administration to distract Americans from the real and grave problems our nation is facing. For the last three and a half years, Donald Trump has followed a well-worn path to divert our attention from his failures, incompetence and malfeasance: attack and scapegoat immigrants, and fan the flames of hate, division and xenophobia as much as possible. These attempts may have worked in the past, but no one is going to lose sight of the nightmare we are living in with COVID-19 and the President’s epic lack of leadership in addressing this national crisis.
"Let us also be clear, today’s memorandum is both unconstitutional and unenforceable. It is never going to be put into effect or become a reality. Our army of fellow civil rights organizations and congressional allies stand ready to beat back this presidential action in our nation’s courts and Washington D.C. The White House knows this. Besides giving the President’s anti-immigrant base some temporary mud to revel in, they are hoping that their memo will create enough confusion and fear in our communities to depress immigrant and Latino participation in the Census. We must not let that happen. All of us – individuals, families, local and state governments, institutions, businesses, and the media – must double down on our collective efforts to uphold the principles and mandates of our Constitution, and make sure everyone in our nation is counted. That is how we can best respond to the President’s latest effort to distract and divide us.”
