March 31, 2022

Warren, Menendez, Booker, Hirono, Schatz, 19 Colleagues Call for Accountability and Answers on Undercounting of Minority Communities in 2020 Census

2020 Census Undercounted Hispanic or Latino Population by nearly 5%, Black or African American Population by 3.3%, and American Indians or Alaska Natives on Tribal Lands by 5.64%

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), along with 19 Senate colleagues, called on Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Census Bureau Director Robert Santos to provide answers about the undercounting of minority communities in the 2020 Census and what the Census Bureau is doing to address the decades-long problem of undercounting minority communities across the country, a problem that the Trump administration intentionally made worse.

“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump Administration made significant efforts to depress participation in the 2020 Census, particularly in immigrant and Latino communities… The undercounting of Latino, Black and Native American individuals deeply affects already disadvantaged communities in a plethora of ways, most acutely in the allocation of federal funding and government representation. As you are aware, an accurate decennial census is not only a constitutional responsibility of the federal government, but its results determine the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, guide the allocation of nearly $1.5 trillion in federal funds annually, and are used to draw legislative districts within the states,” wrote the senators. 

According to the Census’ post-enumeration report, the 2020 Census undercounted the Hispanic or Latino population by nearly 5%, up from 1.54% in 2010. Black or African American individuals were uncounted by 3.3%, and American Indian or Alaska Natives on tribal lands were undercounted by 5.64% – the most significant undercount margin of all demographic groups.

The Senators acknowledged the pandemic affected the Bureau’s outreach, data collection process, and other aspects of the census operation. However, they highlighted that before the COVID-19 pandemic the previous administration made significant efforts to depress participation in the 2020 Census, particularly in immigrant and Latino communities.

“The prior Administration insisted on numerous occasions the inclusion of a citizenship question in the non-partisan 2020 Census. It went so far as to ask the Supreme Court to review a case and decide whether a citizenship question could be included in the 2020 Census,” added the Senators. “Although this question was ultimately not included in the 2020 Census, and despite numerous outreach efforts, these actions, and the public coverage thereof, undoubtedly influenced minority communities’ participation in the latest Census, particularly in the Hispanic and Latino populations.”

The senators called on the Census Bureau to consider ways to correct the undercount in the annual

population estimates derived from 2020 Census data and asked the Bureau to provide them a plan showing undercounting of minority communities will not happen in the future. 

Senator Warren has led and joined ongoing efforts to ensure an accurate and inclusive census.

  • In August 2021, Senator Warren cosponsored the Census FACTS Act (S. 1584), a bill to establish an independent committee to review the independence and integrity of the 2020 Census and the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on this most recent census.
  • In May 2021, Senator Warren was an original cosponsor of the CENSUS IDEA Act (S. 1701), a bill that would require any changes made to the decennial census have rigorous safeguards to ensure accuracy in the final count. 
  • In the Fall of 2020, Senator Warren joined a series of congressional amicus briefs supporting legal challenges to the Trump Administration’s attempt to change the census to exclude undocumented individuals from the apportionment count. 
  • In September 2020, Senator Warren joined a letter to the Census Bureau expressing concern regarding the Adminstration’s memo directing the Bureau to exclude undocumented individuals from the apportionment count of the 2020 Census. 
  • In August 2020, Senator Warren signed a letter to the Census Bureau expressing concerns about the decision to shorten the field collection process and the impact that decision would have on Indian Country. 
  • In July 2019, Senator Warren joined a letter urging the Census Bureau to include language support for Khmer, Hmong, and Lao language speakers for the 2020 Census.

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