The intersection of immigration and the U.S. census is an interesting thing to read about. The census is how the U.S. government determines who the people are who live within the nation's borders. By compiling the raw data of family sizes and other information it allows the government to determine how best to allocate money for social projects. Projects that can provide access to housing, education and other services. But at the same time the census is feared by some as an opportunity to round up undocumented workers, leading to many immigrant communities refusing to fill out the forms. As a result, the census returns incomplete data which means that allocated funds will not go where they are needed most. Meanwhile there are political movements who have a vested interest in seeing an incomplete picture of the nation's population in order to maintain a political status quo.
This article touches on some of the competing interests and fears in Arizona communities as the 2010 census approaches.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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I've go to admit that based on what I know about the Census and how exactly that info is used (which is very little)I sure as heck would not fill out a census form if I was an immigrant, legal or not. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I don't think I'd fill one out right now if someone handed me one. I'd have to do some investigating first.
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