Concerns of undercounting in Milwaukee loom ahead of oral arguments on census citizenship question

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A census stakeholder meeting at Wisconsin Voices.

'Is this person a citizen of the United States?'

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday on whether to add that question to the 2020 census.

The “citizenship question,” as it is called, has been hotly contested since the New York Immigration Coalition filed a lawsuit against Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the Census Bureau in 2017.

Many New York agencies have pointed out how it will negatively affect communities of color.

But the fear of that outcome is not unique to New York, according to Darryl Morin, a Latino leader in Milwaukee who rescinded his Republican party affiliation nearly a year ago.

“There is a prevailing feeling that the undocumented will hesitate and will not participate in the census, which will reduce the level of public funding to the city of Milwaukee,” he said. “I believe this is an intentional act being done by the administration to ensure an undercount of minority populations.”

In 2010, Morin chaired the League of United Latin American Citizens' Subcommittee on Hispanic outreach in Milwaukee.

A total of 103,007 Hispanics were counted in Milwaukee, according to the Census Bureau, a number that Morin said could have been exponentially lower and worse for the city.

“If it wasn’t for the dramatic increase of the size of the Hispanic population in Milwaukee, Milwaukee would have missed out on tens of millions of dollars in federal funding,” he said.

He said that effort was partly successful because the group conducted a rigorous information and accessibility campaign to ensure everyone was counted.

“We were very concerned and had to have a very conscious, organized and strategic effort to make sure that everyone was counted. And that by sharing their information, they would in no way be put at risk,” Morin explained.

Many Hispanics fear that their answers to a citizenship question will be accessible to law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which could result in detainment and deportation for them or their loved ones.

In response to whether that would be the case, ICE spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea said:

“ICE is unable to speculate regarding information that may or may not be exchanged after the 2020 census, which has not yet begun. We would refer you to the U.S. Census Bureau.”

Charmine C. Yates, a spokesperson from the Chicago Regional Census Center, said the Bureau does not share data with anyone and according to its news release, “Responses to the 2020 Census are confidential and protected by law and can only be used to produce statistics.”

Yates also said the Census Bureau plans to use “administrative information” from federal and state sources to fill in any missing data.

Why collect information on non-citizens? “The mission of the census is to count every person in the U.S. as guided by the Constitution for distribution of funds and for Congressional representation,” she said.

Non-citizens would still be counted, even if they weren’t being asked to divulge information about their citizenship status — their responses just might not be categorized as responses from non-citizens.

Advocates for the citizenship question say it will make the census more accurate.

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., co-signed the "Census Accuracy Act of 2017" proposed by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, which would add a citizenship question to every census.

Grothman said responses would make his job as a legislator easier.

"If some people are here illegally, they might not be here much longer. For future changes in the law, it might be relevant," he said.

Grothman also said collecting data on legal citizenship is more important for the U.S. government than collecting data on categories such as race.

"I think it's much more important to determine if you're a citizen and a citizen here legally rather than something like race," he said, adding, "I think an obvious question is not only are you a citizen but are you here legally?"

Grothman said he realizes census data is confidential and cannot be used by agencies like ICE. However, he said he has no fear that such a question could cause an undercount.

James Morris, the census coordinator for Wisconsin Voices, vehemently disagreed.

“Actually it’s a campaign to intimidate people to not exercise their constitutional right to be counted on the census,” he said.

‘A lot of people are just jaded’

Mayor Tom Barrett proclaimed April 1 as “Census Call to Action Day” in an announcement encouraging residents to respond to the census.

In a news release, he emphasized the need to count “people of color, low-income communities, homeless individuals, single-parent households, individuals who speak English as a second Language (ESL), foreign-born residents.”

The request comes nearly five years after Wisconsin lost the sixth-most money per person ($1,338) in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage program due to undercounting in the 2010 census, according to a report from George Washington University researcher Andrew Reamer.

That's despite over $9 billion being allocated to the state in 2015, more than $7.5 billion of which was used for Medicaid, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, Medicare Part B and highway infrastructure.

Morris said adding the citizenship question will increase the chances of an undercount. He said Wisconsin, as with many other states, has been plagued by under-counts among Hispanic, African-American and Native American populations, due to mistrust of government.

“I think a lot of that comes from a lot of patronage, in the way of people are used to politicians coming to their doors or canvassers coming to their doors asking for a vote in return for empty promises. So a lot of people are just jaded,” he said.

Morris listed underfunding as another factor facing the census next year.

“Every 10 years, census amounts are double and this year, it’s staying the same as 2010,” Morris said. “With the lack of internet access in urban and rural communities, we’re kind of relying on those social entities – schools and churches – to get people registered.”

And census operators, Morris said, are relying on surplus funds to keep going.

Morris said Wisconsin Voices will do its part to increase census engagement by advocating for local and state funds, building and mobilizing coalitions, conducting social media and texting campaigns and eliminating the citizenship question.

“So many people are not informed to what it means for dollars and registration,” Morris explained.

Many residents who express frustration that their communities are underfunded, he said, don’t recognize the census’ importance for redistricting, the distribution of infrastructure, school and emergency funds and the allocation of funds for social programs such as Medicaid and Head Start.

"I think education is definitely the key," he said. "I believe that we’ve got a pretty good start ... We’re looking at doing some regional cooperation things so we can form a government advisory council on the census."

But as for the citizenship question, Morris feels differently:

"I'm not very hopeful," he said.

The Census Bureau is seeking census takers, recruiting assistants, office staffs and supervisory staff. Those interested may apply at 2020census.gov/jobs.

What do you think of the citizenship question? Contact Talis Shelbourne at (414) 223-5261 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and Facebook at @talisseer.