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Rep. Soto on Trump Administration Threatening Census Confidentiality

November 27, 2018

Congressman Darren Soto, Chair of the Civil and Voting Rights Task Force in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, released the following statement following surfaced court documents indicating the Trump Administration is considering sharing confidential census data with law enforcement and other national security agencies:

"Suggesting personal census information could be shared with law enforcement agencies is yet another reprehensible fearmongering tactic by the Trump administration. Federal law protects the confidentiality of responses to the U.S. Census, and any attempt to threaten those safeguards would not only be against the law, it would also gravely jeopardize the accuracy of the count."

"Failure to abide by existing confidentially laws also reinforces fears that census responses regarding citizenship status could be used to the detriment of the immigrant community. Since reports first emerged about the plan to include an untested and politically motivated question in the 2020 Census regarding citizenship status, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have expressed strong concerns that it would harm the accuracy of the count due to underreporting and decreased participation. Confidentiality is crucial for the success of the constitutionally mandated census. We must ensure all communities, especially immigrants, feel safe to provide correct information to Census employees."

"An accurate census questionnaire is vital to ensure representation and allocation of resources in our communities for the next decade. In order for the public to maintain its trust in the U.S. Census Bureau, all efforts must be made to guarantee the confidentiality of personal information."