Speaker Julie Menin, Attorney General Letitia James, and NYC Council Census Taskforce Fight Back Against Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Attacks on 2030 Census

Speaker Menin will submit public comment with Council Members advocating against proposed Census overhaul, highlighting importance of accurate count

NEW YORK - New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and civic leaders today announced a joint initiative to fight back against the Trump Administration's recent attacks on the U.S. Census - which would discourage participation from NYC's diverse communities and undermine efforts to count every New Yorker - and work to protect the count at both the City and State level.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration released a proposal to dramatically overhaul the U.S. Census. The proposed changes would exclude non-citizens and non-permanent residents from the census apportionment count, despite constitutional requirements to count the "whole number of persons" residing in the country, and would eliminate key demographic questions on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

Both elected officials plan to submit public comments advocating against the proposed changes, and urge New Yorkers and Americans across the country to do the same. They are also calling on the Administration to extend the public comment period given the level of significance of the changes. The public comment period is open through October 13th.

"Attorney General James and I stood together in 2020 and successfully fought the Trump administration's unconstitutional citizenship question before the U.S. Supreme Court. We again will stand up to ensure that every single New Yorker is counted in 2030 and that work begins now," said Speaker Julie Menin. "Once again the Trump administration is continuing its attacks on the Census and our democratic process. The administration's proposal to exclude non-citizens and non-permanent residents from the Census is unconstitutional and threatens to deny communities the representation and resources they're entitled to. Every New Yorker deserves to be counted, and we will continue fighting to ensure every community across our city is fully represented."

In 2019, Attorney General James successfully defeated the first Trump administration's attempts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census after a months-long legal battle that ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The federal administration's proposed overhaul of the 2030 census would have disastrous impacts on our communities," said Attorney General Letitia James. "We will not let their efforts to sow fear and unease stop us from ensuring every single New Yorker is counted in the 2030 Census. My office fought this same issue in 2019, and won at every level, all the way up to the Supreme Court. If this administration wants to go for round two, we are prepared to win again."

This effort is a continuation of an ongoing push from the City Council for proactive Census planning ahead of the next count. In August of this year, Speaker Menin announced the launch of New York City's first Census Taskforce, which brings together community leaders, census experts, advocates, researchers, faith leaders, labor representatives, and civic institutions to begin the early preparation work needed for the 2030 Census.

Alongside Speaker Menin, the taskforce is co-chaired by L. Joy Williams (President, NAACP NY State Conference), Emely Paez (Associate Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, United Way of New York City), and Jeffrey M. Wice (Director, New York Elections, Census, and Redistricting Institute, and Distinguished Adjunct Professor & Senior Fellow, New York Law School).

NYC's newly established Office of the Census was spearheaded by Speaker Menin and signed into law last November, with the intent of maximizing local participation in the federal census. Speaker Menin served as the Director of NYC Census 2020, in which New York City saw the highest self-response rate compared with other major cities. The City gained over 620,000 new residents, accounting for a majority of the state's population growth since 2010.

"New York City's 2020 census efforts helped count over 620,000 more New Yorkers and reversed the trend of lost congressional representation that started after the 1940 census," said Jeffrey M. Wice, Director of New York Law School's New York Elections, Census, and Redistricting Institute and Distinguished Adjunct Professor & Senior Fellow. "The proposed census regulations could have a devastating impact on New York, depressing the census count by failing to count every resident as required by the U.S. Constitution and by failing to include data on race and ethnicity relied on to enforce so many civil rights laws and funding formulas."

"The proposed changes are a major threat to getting an accurate count of our diverse communities and ensuring New York City has the political power and resources needed to thrive," said Emely Paez, Associate Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, United Way of New York City. "If we learned anything from 2020, it is that we cannot allow fear tactics or misinformation to keep our communities from participating in the Census. The work ahead is clear: we must proactively engage historically undercounted communities, fortify trust, and ensure New Yorkers have the information and confidence they need to participate in 2030. I look forward to working alongside the Task Force to build strong recommendations that help New York City prepare for a more complex Census than ever before."

"The Trump administration interfered in the 2020 Census, and they're renewing their efforts ahead of 2030. We stand to lose more than Congressional representation if this administration is allowed to exclude non-citizens and remove questions about race and ethnicity," said L. Joy Williams, President of the NAACP New York State Conference. "If the administration removes questions about race and ethnicity from the census, it will take away one of our strongest tools to enforce what's left of the Voting Rights Act, combat systemic discrimination, and identify racial disparities. That is why we are doing everything we can now to prevent these rules from being implemented and to count every New Yorker."

"Every New Yorker is constitutionally required to be seen, counted, and represented in the Census," said Murad Awawdeh, President & CEO of New York Immigration Coalition. "Yet, the Trump administration is undermining that principle by seeking to exclude nearly 2 million New Yorkers who live, work, and contribute to their communities but do not have green cards or citizenship. Census data is crucial to determining the allotment of Congressional seats and informing how much federal funding states receive for schools, hospitals, housing, and other critical programs that New Yorkers rely on every day. Restricting who is counted and removing information about race and ethnicity from the census survey is a blatant attempt to erase the power, presence, and diverse needs of immigrant rich states like New York from future federal data used for redistricting, enforcing the Voting Rights Act, and other anti discrimination protections. We encourage every New Yorker to take action now by submitting a public comment at bit.ly/census-comment to ensure the health of our democracy. We thank NYC Council Speaker Menin, NY Attorney General Tish James, and the NYC Council Census Taskforce for taking the steps to fight back against the Trump administration's unconstitutional Census overhaul proposal. New Yorkers deserve a census that includes every New Yorker, regardless of their immigration status."

"Since 1790, the U.S. Census has helped to present a true and full picture of our nation by counting every resident," said Catherine Chen, CEO of the Asian American Federation. "The Trump administration proposal, which aims to exclude certain groups and ban questions on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation from the Census, is yet another attempt to render our communities invisible. Asian Americans make up 17% of New York City's population and are the fastest-growing population in the country. Without accurate data, we risk leaving entire communities out of the decisions that shape their lives and the resources they depend on, such as funding for services in Asian languages and culturally responsive health programs. And yet, when our communities disappear from the data, their needs do not disappear. The Asian American Federation has led the Census process for the Asian community in New York since 2000, and we will continue to fight for a Census where each and every one of us is counted."

"The Census must be conducted in a manner that ensures that every community in our state receives the representation and resource it deserves," said Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages, Chair of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus and Assembly sponsor of the New York Counts Act. "These proposed federal changes threaten to undermine a complete count, especially in immigrant and historically undercounted communities. It is precisely because of the immense importance of the Census that I introduced the New York Counts Act, to establish permanent statewide infrastructure so that our state is always prepared for Census Day. I commend Speaker Menin and Attorney General James for beginning this work, and will not stop fighting until it is guaranteed that every New Yorker is counted."

"The census is personal to me. It helped me find my ancestors and better understand where I come from. But today, I'm sounding the alarm about the 2030 Census," said Assemblymember Landon Dais. "Governor Cuomo's administration mishandled the 2020 Census, and New Yorkers paid the price. We cannot make that mistake again. New York is currently projected to lose two congressional seats, but if we start the work now, I believe we can protect our representation and potentially gain a seat. The work starts now, and I'm proud to help lead that charge alongside Speaker Menin and my colleagues in government."

###