Mr. Speaker. the amendment is unworkable. It would require the Census Bureau to make determinations as to whether a respondent is in the country in violation of immigration lawa determination the Census Bureau is neither equipped nor authorized to make. The determination of legal residency is a complex process that requires special expertise and careful adjudication. The Secretary of Commerce and Attorney General will recommend a veto of the entire appropriations bill if it contains language to exclude undocumented aliens from the census. I challenge the supporters of the amendment to explain how a census enumerator would list the status of a person without resorting to the most presumptuous. inaccurate. and ultimately bigoted assumptions about our national identity. Is an accent. or skin color. or dress indicative of ones legal status?
Identified stereotypes
Suggests that accent, skin color, or dress are indicative of legal status.