Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led ninety House Democrats in demanding President Trump’s Department of Commerce and U.S. Census Bureau immediately drop their plan to add a citizenship question to the 2026 Census Test, despite repeated warnings that it will discourage already vulnerable immigrant communities from participating in the 2030 Census and undermine the test’s accuracy.
“The Trump Administration’s ploy to ask about citizenship in the Census Test raises serious concerns about whether it’s scheming once again to add an illegal citizenship question to the Census, rob communities across the country of representation and vital resources, and weaponize the survey for its continued mass deportation campaign,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.
In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “Any attempts to add a citizenship question would deter immigrants, including those who are lawfully permitted to reside in the United States, from responding to the Census. Many immigrants or citizens in mixed-status families, including green card holders and other legal permanent residents, face fear, chaos, and uncertainty over who the Trump Administration will target next for denaturalization and deportation. As you know, title 13 of the U.S. Code prohibits any disclosure by the Census Bureau of confidential information that would pinpoint individual people, households, or businesses. However, it is clear that the Department of Homeland Security intends to illegally obtain and use highly sensitive information maintained by individual agencies as part of its broader weaponization of personal information to carry out the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda.”
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