When completing the 2020 Census, residents will not be asked if they or anyone in their home is a U.S. citizen, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that the Commerce Department’s decision to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census violated federal law. The reason for the court’s decision stemmed from the fact that they felt the Trump administration’s Department of Commerce was disingenuous in its intentions for adding the citizenship question, according to court records. In preparing for Census Day, April 1, the U.S. Census Bureau has made it clear on their website that the census should count “everyone living in the country, including non-citizens.” At the county level, Jordan Baucum Colbert, 2020 Census outreach coordinator for Prince George’s County, said the importance of everyone being counted boils down to one thing: federal funding. “We all use those resources despite what status we are,” Baucum Colbert said, stressing that when people aren’t counted, the community loses money. “In the state of Maryland, each person’s participation is worth $18,250 over the course of 10 years.” Prince George’s County is currently attempting to elevate the importance of the census by utilizing over 100 partners on its Complete Count Committee, including liaisons to access hard to-reach communities. The U.S. Census Bureau said it is important that residents are also aware that information submitted will not be shared with any law enforcement agency. “The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the U.S. Code to protect your personal information and keep it strictly confidential,” their website reads. “Your answers cannot be used to impact eligibility for government benefits. Your answers are only used to create statistics about our country. That’s every answer, to every question.”
