Background
Why is the census important to immigrants?
The census counts everyone in the United States regardless of immigration status. The census is important for purposes of allocating federal funding to local communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation, community-driven initiatives and other services. An undercount of immigrant communities puts at risk resources that should be allocated to those communities.
Immigrants are at a higher risk of not being counted because of fears of the federal government in light of recent raids and lack of English proficiency. Many immigrants may not know that they have to participate in the census or fear that providing their information to the census takers will be used against them. It is up to community organizations such as yours to help spread the message that participation in the census is safe, beneficial and important to immigrants.
If your organization would like more information or a presentation on Census 2010, please contact us at census2010@ilrc.org.
Additional Resources
For additional resources in your community, including materials in multiple languages please consult: