Dear All,
The ASA Board has issued a statement in reaction to President Trump's Memorandum on Excluding Illegal Aliens From the Apportionment Base Following the 2020 Census. The text of the statement is pasted below but I also attach the pdf. It will also be posted soon to https://www.amstat.org/ASA/Science-Policy-and-Advocacy/ASA-Board-Statements.aspx.
As a reminder, the Board follows its 2017 guidelines laid out in Ron Wasserstein's blog post: When should the ASA make a public statement on an issue?. The Board welcomes input from members on making public statements or otherwise taking action.
Sincerely,
Steve
American Statistical Association Statement on President Trump's July 21 Memorandum Regarding the Decennial Census
July 21, 2020
Enshrined in the US Constitution, the decennial census is a cornerstone of our democracy and informs our governance, commerce, and daily life. The importance of a fair and accurate census cannot be overstated. Fundamental to the census is that it enumerates all residents in the US, regardless of citizenship status. The Census Bureau's website explicitly explains that the "U.S. census counts each resident of the country."
President Trump's memorandum to omit undocumented immigrants from the counts in the decennial census used for apportionment reverses 230 years of American census practice. Identification of such individuals contradicts the bureau's mission to "honor privacy, protect confidentiality, share our expertise globally, and conduct our work openly."
Since its founding in 1839, the ASA has worked to ensure scientific objectivity in the decennial census, and the ASA continues its steadfast support of the Census Bureau today. We urge an immediate retraction of this memorandum, as well as the removal of the two political appointees who were installed at the bureau in June. We also reiterate our exhortation for the transfer of assembly of administrative records to collect citizenship information to a nonstatistical agency. In short, we call for this administration to allow the US Census Bureau career professionals to conduct a fair and impartial census and thereby continue to maintain scientific integrity in data collection and use, honoring their commitment to the nation.
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Steve Pierson
Director of Science Policy
American Statistical Association
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