Congressman Says Integrity
Of U.S. Census Is In
Greater Peril Than Ever Before

To the Editor:

The integrity of the United States Census is in greater peril than ever before. All communities benefit from an accurate census count, but recent efforts to add a question on citizenship status to the Census would risk the severe undercounting of urban communities like ours.

Census undercounting would likely help shift congressional seats away from more urban segments of the country to overrepresented rural areas. For diverse states like New Jersey, this impact could be devastating. Places like Passaic County, with its rich immigrant communities, would lose not just their representation, but their right to be treated with dignity. The Supreme Court must prevent this centuries-old tradition from being poisoned.

Bill Pascrell, Jr.
Member of Congress (NJ-09)