Stand Up and Be Counted
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| TimesLedger Newspapers |
Borough leaders are concerned Queens will be under-counted in the 2010 Census. There is a fear aliens who entered this country illegally and those who have overstayed their visas will be reluctant to participate. In other cases, Queens residents may be reluctant to say how many people live in their house.
At a recent conference, Borough President Helen Marshall and the Rev. Floyd Flake spoke about participation in the Census.
“The 2010 Census,” said Marshall, “will determine our country’s representation in the U.S. Congress and state Legislature for the next 10 years and help to determine where to allocate more than $300 billion in federal funding for major services ....”
The Census will begin next March. Although Marshall concedes the borough’s many languages may present a barrier, immigration status should not. Census takers are not allowed to question a household’s immigration status and the data from any individual address will not be made available to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
To prepare Queens, Marshall has formed a Complete Count Committee. Ligia Jaquez, deputy regional director of the U.S. Census Bureau, told the members of the panel, “A key component of the Complete Count Committee’s efforts is to allay fear ... and reinforce that under federal law the personal information collected by the Census Bureau is entirely confidential and cannot be shared with any federal, state or city agency.”
Flake has urged community leaders to reassure people they have nothing to fear but much to gain.
In the 2000 Census, only 54 percent of households returned a mail-in response, far less than the national average of 67 percent. And in Flushing the rate was only 31 percent. This cost the city millions of dollars in federal aid.
Some in the Republican Party want only to count permanent residents who are in this country legally. Such a change would cost the state a congressional district. This cannot happen before the 2010 census and should never happen. Even illegal immigrants benefit from services.
We urge community leaders in Queens neighborhoods with large numbers of immigrants to get out the word that there is nothing to fear from the Census.
At a recent conference, Borough President Helen Marshall and the Rev. Floyd Flake spoke about participation in the Census.
“The 2010 Census,” said Marshall, “will determine our country’s representation in the U.S. Congress and state Legislature for the next 10 years and help to determine where to allocate more than $300 billion in federal funding for major services ....”
The Census will begin next March. Although Marshall concedes the borough’s many languages may present a barrier, immigration status should not. Census takers are not allowed to question a household’s immigration status and the data from any individual address will not be made available to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
To prepare Queens, Marshall has formed a Complete Count Committee. Ligia Jaquez, deputy regional director of the U.S. Census Bureau, told the members of the panel, “A key component of the Complete Count Committee’s efforts is to allay fear ... and reinforce that under federal law the personal information collected by the Census Bureau is entirely confidential and cannot be shared with any federal, state or city agency.”
Flake has urged community leaders to reassure people they have nothing to fear but much to gain.
In the 2000 Census, only 54 percent of households returned a mail-in response, far less than the national average of 67 percent. And in Flushing the rate was only 31 percent. This cost the city millions of dollars in federal aid.
Some in the Republican Party want only to count permanent residents who are in this country legally. Such a change would cost the state a congressional district. This cannot happen before the 2010 census and should never happen. Even illegal immigrants benefit from services.
We urge community leaders in Queens neighborhoods with large numbers of immigrants to get out the word that there is nothing to fear from the Census.
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