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Upcoming 2010 U.S. Census has detractors

 
BY G. JEFFREY MACDONALD | Published: October 24, 2009    Comment on this article Leave a comment

With fewer than six months to go before the start of the 2010 census, immigration reform activists — divided over whether undocumented immigrants should volunteer to be counted — are escalating rhetoric as they seek critical support from Hispanic evangelical pastors.

photo - In this 2007 archive photo, the Rev. Miguel Rivera, national president of the National Coalition of Latin Clergy and Christian Leaders, speaks during a news conference at the Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Photo provided by Tulsa World
In this 2007 archive photo, the Rev. Miguel Rivera, national president of the National Coalition of Latin Clergy and Christian Leaders, speaks during a news conference at the Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Photo provided by Tulsa World

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On Oct. 1, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials launched a nationwide campaign to encourage participation in the census and recruit support from faith leaders. Arturo Vargas, the organization’s executive director, said nonparticipants in the census "cause injury to their community” by keeping public resources from reaching their neighbors in need.

At the same time, a group of evangelical Hispanic pastors who support a census boycott is not backing down.

The heated exchanges underscore the high stakes of the once-a-decade population count. Communities with large immigrant populations stand to win more representation in Congress and attract millions in additional federal funding under existing formulas.

If immigrants avoid census takers en masse, such benefits may never materialize.

The boycott threat "is the only reason why we’re beginning to see some movement in Congress on comprehensive immigration reform,” said Miguel Rivera, president of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, which supports a boycott.

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Related Topics: Politics, Social Issues, U.S. Politics, World Politics, Hispanic and Latino Issues, Immigration, Illegal Immigration and Deportation, Government and Politics, U.S. Congressional Politics



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