Delaware joins lawsuit over citizenship question on 2020 Census

Delaware joins a coalition of 11 other states in suing The Trump Administration over changes to the census. On Monday, US Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross sent a memo requesting the Census Bureau reinstate a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census in order to obtain complete and accurate data.

Delaware is joining New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and a host of other states suing to block the question, as state officials worry that the question will prompt illegal residents to not answer the census survey, and as a result, states with high proportions of illegal residents could lose seats in the house of representatives, have congressional districts redrawn, or lose federal funding.

Attorney General Matt Denn says, “The census will not affect Delaware’s representation in Congress — we have one Congressperson now, and no doubt we will have one Congressperson after the 2020 census. But it was the wrong thing to do, done in an unlawful way, and that is why I decided to join on Delaware’s behalf.”