The Shelby amendment. which was adopted by the Senate to the Commerce. Justice. State appropriations bill seeks to prohibit the Census Bureau from including undocumented residents in the 1990 census count. I oppose this proposal because it is unconstitutional and it would further augment the undercount of Hispanic Americans. The points I want to make are simple: This amendment would put all census data in jeopardy and add to the historic undercount already acknowledged in the Hispanic and other minority communities. This undercount is estimated at six times that of the general population. it would elevate the fear factor already present in the Hispanic community and negate the incredible amount of resources being spent to promote a complete and confidential count. it would. in essence. grant the Census Bureau reponsibilities charged. to the Immigration and Naturalization Serviceturning the agency into an investigative force while allowing enumerators to make decisions regarding legal statusa responsibility that the Census Bureau itself has determined it is not now equipped. capable. or legally qualified to do. This last point is especially relevant in mixed households where some residents are in legal status and others are not. Take for example that family where the parents qualify for amnesty under IRCA and the children did not meet the residency requirement.
Keywords matched
undocumented Immigration Naturalization