Americans are divided over whether or not the 2020 Census should include the question, “Is this person a citizen of the United States?” A new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released this week shows that two-thirds of voters seem to want the question included. According to the National Review, that number includes about 88 percent of Republicans, 52 percent of Democrats, and 63 percent of independents.
Poll director, Mark Penn, weighed in stating that, “The public here agrees with the administration that it makes sense to ask citizenship on the census.”
He added, that “It is a clear supermajority of Americans on this issue.”
Many immigrants are fearful that the inclusion of this question would be a traceable identifier for potential deportation.
The Trump administration has been adamant about the inclusion of the question, which was disregarded by the Supreme Court last week after they temporarily prohibited the question from appearing on the 2020 census. The Supreme Court classified their ruling as simply being confused and needing more information as to why the question was necessary. Trumps administration states that including the question would be beneficial to enforcing a part of the Voting Rights Act.
“Seems totally ridiculous that our government, and indeed Country, cannot ask a basic question of Citizenship in a very expensive, detailed and important Census, in this case for 2020,” President Trump wrote on Twitter following the Court’s decision. “I have asked the lawyers if they can delay the Census, no matter how long, until the United States Supreme Court is given additional information from which it can make a final and decisive decision on this very critical matter.”
“I think it’s very important to find out if somebody is a citizen as opposed to an illegal,” the president said on Monday.