Democrats say citizenship question could derail census test and deter immigrants from participating [View all]

Source: The Independent

Thursday 19 February 2026 17:53 EST


U.S. Census Bureau plans to use a questionnaire with a citizenship question as part of its practice test for the 2030 census could jeopardize the once-a-decade head count and scare away immigrants from participating, congressional Democrats warned Thursday.

Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform urged the Census Bureau to drop plans to use the American Community Survey form, which includes the citizenship question, and instead use a traditional census questionnaire that omits it. The on-the-ground tests in Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, S.C., start next month.

“The Trump Administration is risking millions of taxpayer dollars to pursue policies which could fatally compromise the 2030 count before it even begins,” they wrote in a letter to acting Census Bureau Director George Cook and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose department oversees the statistical agency.

The Census Bureau and Commerce Department didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/democrats-howard-lutnick-donald-trump-huntsville-alabama-b2924025.html