CPC STATEMENT ON THE REMOVAL OF THE CITIZENSHIP QUESTION ON THE 2020 CENSUS 

New York, NY -- The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) celebrates the removal of the citizenship question from the 2020 Census and applauds the advocates and organizations that continue to fight with us for a fair, accurate count. 

In late June, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Federal Administration’s explanation for adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census was “contrived,” and blocked it from inclusion on the questionnaire. Despite the Federal Administration’s initial claim that it would add further reason to reinstate the question, late last week, President Trump, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and Attorney General William Barr confirmed that the Census Bureau will print questionnaires without the citizenship question and that federal agencies would be asked to supply non-Census derived citizenship data to the Commerce Department. While CPC condemns additional attempts to dilute and divide the political power of low-income, immigrant, and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, we celebrate this important win that demonstrates the power of community organizing and the integrity of our nation’s checks and balances.  

“As the fastest growing racial group in the nation, Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are just beginning to make gains in political influence and power. More than other immigrant groups, recent surveys found that the citizenship question had the potential to devastate AAPI Census response rates,” ​said Wayne Ho, President & CEO at the Chinese-American Planning Council. ​“By preying on our communities’ worst fears, this question would have erased AAPIs from city, state, and federal electoral districts and stripped our communities of federal and public funding for the next ten years. While we celebrate this important win, we must also double our efforts to ensure all communities are counted in 2020 and fairly represented by redistricting in 2021.”  

“CPC not only recognizes our nation’s founding principles of ‘liberty and justice for all,’ but celebrates the important laws, rules, and policies that preserve and protect our democracy,”​ said Carlyn Cowen, Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer at the Chinese-American Planning Council.​ “The Supreme Court’s ruling on the citizenship question is a shining example of how our administrative laws protect important institutions from overt politicization and meddling. We must continue to remain vigilant against other attempts to divide, distract, and disempower us.” 

“The campaign to raise awareness and remove the citizenship question stretched from local neighborhood meetings to our nation’s highest court. It is thanks to the organizing and coalition building between AAPIs, immigrants, and communities of color that much-needed attention was brought to this issue and evidence was levied against the Trump Administration to prove their intent to erase and divide our communities,”​ said Amy Torres, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Chinese-American Planning Council.​ “An attempt to erase or divide one group is an attempt to disempower us all. CPC advances our communities regardless of language, country of origin, or immigration status. As we move forward, CPC will continue to work across communities and raise a unified message that every New Yorker deserves both a fair count and fair representation in our democracy.” 

About CPC
The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) is the nation's largest Asian American social services organization. Founded in 1965, CPC aims to promote the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities of New York City.