Please disregard the email you received below. It was sent in error.?
Given the pronouncements from President Donald Trump, the following update from our policy associate Suher Adi provides the latest on what is happening now. In fact, a new update is expected at 2:00 PM today. We will be in touch again next week with more news on the census.
Our apologies again for the mistake.
Best,
Maya
____________________________________
Maya
Berry
Executive Director
Arab American Institute
1600 K
Street NW, # 601?
Washington, D.C. 20006
www.aaiusa.org?
| @iMayaBerry | @aaiusa ?
?
Hello Census Allies,?
It has been a confusing past few days in the Census world. While the Supreme Court ruled that the question cannot be on the Census form as of now because the administration's reasoning that they gave in court (enforcing the Voting Rights Act) was "pretextual," or in other words made up, President Trump refuses to accept the court's decision.?
Just two days ago, Department of Justice lawyers sent emails to the lower court judges in both the?New York?and Maryland cases expressing that they are NOT going to be pursuing the question, and that the printer has been instructed to print the form WITHOUT the citizenship question. The Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, also released a statement that they will be printing the forms WITHOUT the citizenship question.?This is largely due to the fact that the Trump?administration sped up this case to meet the?June?2019?deadline to finalize the form so that it could be printed in time to do the decennial Census.?
After reports of the question being left off the form circulated online and the subsequent celebration by?plaintiffs and?their allies,?the President of the United States tweeted that all the reports of not adding the citizenship question to the Census are false. This tweet caused confusion and is?effectively an example of the?clear disinformation targeting the Census.?
Judges, in both lower court cases, immediately contacted the Department of Justice (DOJ) to find out what the truth is. Did the forms go to print without the citizenship question AND is the Trump Administration still looking at pursuing the question??
Judge Hazel from the Maryland case asked for a?teleconference call?to ask the DOJ?what Trump's tweets meant after they went on record saying that the form is going to be printed without the question on it. The DOJ lawyer said, "I am doing my absolute best to figure out what is going on," which indicates clear internal confusion from?the administration about what is truly happening with regards to the citizenship question. However, the DOJ lawyer also said at 3:30 pm yesterday that, "I can tell you that I have confirmed that the Census Bureau is continuing with the process of printing the questionnaire without a citizenship question, and that process has not stopped." The bottom line, the form is still being printed without the question as of now and the DOJ is being "instructed to examine whether there is a path forward, consistent with the Supreme Court decision" as a means of including the citizenship question.?
Judge Furman in the New York case asked for a written letter by DOJ expressing what is currently going on and giving them until Friday, July 5th (tomorrow) to continue on existing litigation or to confirm that they are no longer moving forward with pursuing the citizenship question. In their?letter?to the NY Judge, DOJ wrote "the process of printing the questionnaires without the citizenship question continues" and "DOJ and Commerce have now been asked to reevaluate all available options" to include the question... so much so that they might come up with "a?new rationale" to present to the court as to why they want to include a citizenship question. Openly admitting they are going to have to present a fabricated "new rationale" to the court is a?shocking admission and again telling of the lengths Trump is going to try and win this case.
Is there a path forward that is?possible and containing legal standing for the inclusion of the question on Trump's behalf? It is highly unlikely. At this point, the DOJ and the?Commerce Dept have made clear that?there is no way to add the question, which is why the forms are still being?printed?without it.?The Trump Administration, however, won't let it go. On Friday, look for an email from us?on more information related to the state of play on the citizenship question and don't forget to amplify the messages coming out of our?YallaCountMeIn?campaign.?
Unified messaging is the key piece for us to ensure that this?administration does less harm to our communities count on the 2020 Census. Amplify our messages and we will amplify yours by following and sharing posts from @yallacountmein and #yallacountmein on all social media platforms.?
In Community,
Suher?
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Suher Adi?(she/her)
Policy Associate
[email protected]?| 202-429-9210 | @suheradi
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|
Dear Friend,
Simply put: We won!?The Trump Administration has agreed to proceed with the print deadline of early July WITHOUT the citizenship question being on the census form. Community members and organizations have been rightfully concerned with the addition of a citizenship question and for months the Arab American Institute (AAI), along with other civil rights organizations, have been fighting to ensure a fair and accurate count. That is why AAI filed?an amicus brief?which argued that adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census was a radical departure from established census procedure.
We know that the only reason the administration wanted this question was to ensure hard to count communities, ours included, were far less accurately counted. That means it's on us to make sure everyone knows that the question is not on the form and that every household fills out their Census form.
And this work begins now, Independence Day weekend. Join us in celebrating this win by promoting theYallaCountMeIn campaign this 4th of July. Become an official campaign partner?and?pledge that you will fill out your Census form in 2020 and share your support with your network! You can also follow the campaign on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to share materials and messaging with your network AND use the hashtag #YallaCountMeIn so we can promote your work to Get out the Count!
Yalla, Can We Count You in to Get out the Count!?
Sincerely,