Ruiz Statement on Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census

TRENTON – Senator M. Teresa Ruiz today issued the following statement about President Trump reinstating the citizenship question into the 2020 U.S. Census:

“It is troubling to see this administration reinstate a citizenship question that has not been included on the census since 1950. This is an assault on immigrant communities in New Jersey and other states with high immigrant populations.”

“Putting the citizenship question back into the census is just another example of President Trump’s dangerous anti-immigrant agenda. The census is designed to give us an accurate count of all the people living in the United States and it should not be exploited to discourage immigrant communities from participating for fear of retaliation.

“Without an accurate census, New Jersey risks losing representation in Washington, in addition to losing federal funding for education, infrastructure, and Medicaid. I applaud Attorney General Grewal’s decision to join the lawsuit against the federal government to prevent this question from being asked, and I am committed to working with New Jersey’s leaders to ensure an accurate census in 2020.”