Counting The Undocumented In Census Is Truly American

Undocumented, as well as legal residents, were included in the 2010 Census. Doing so ensured Latinos have a more equitable dispersion of federal, municipal, and community services, regardless of their status. Ideally, a successful Census should ensure that every resident receives their share of the municipal largesse, and that the political realms cut up by politicians adhere to population and redistricting rules.

Politically, the Census has always had an adulterous affair with the figures depicting undocumented immigrants. However, undocumented immigrants use community services (like libraries, schools, and parks); undocumented immigrants pay taxes (sales tax, many own homes and pay property tax) and have incorporated themselves into our lives. So, their needs should be taken into account.

The idea of leaving undocumented immigrants out of the Census has everything to do with the politics of intolerance, and not with having the most accurate, objective figures.

Pretending that the needs and services consumed by undocumented immigrants are negligible is not only irresponsible, it’s akin to cutting off our noses to spite our faces. The U.S. Constitution instructs the Census to count all residents; whether or not the Constitution instructs the Census to count undocumented residents is not readily obvious, and arguments can be made for both camps.

However, one thing was blatantly obvious from the 2000 Census: Latinos were egregiously under counted. According to a December 22, 2009 article in The New York Times, “Latino groups contend that there was an under-count of nearly one million Latinos in the 2000 census, affecting the drawing of Congressional districts and the distribution of federal money.” Even in this latest Census, and as reported by News Taco, several groups have claimed the Census deliberately under counted Latinos.

Despite these affiliation games, the numbers are clear. For instance, there are currently just under 309 million residents in the U.S. Of those, about 50.5 million are Latinos. That means Latinos account for approximately one-sixth of the total U.S. population. Furthermore, growth of this population accounted for more than half of the total growth of the population of the entire country over the past decade.

One would hope that this would only mean more leverage for Latinos at the national and district levels as districts get shifted. While this may not always be the case, the truth is that, if Latinos — with and without papers — are lending their increasing numbers to the future of this country, inequalities in education, salary, and quality of life have to be addressed. If the U.S. wishes to remain globally competitive, it is in the best interest of the U.S. to ensure Latino graduation rates improve, because then it means better-educated, knowledgeable workers.

Thus, we see that the decennial Census comes to measure not only the growth of the U.S. population, but also increases in overall equality and projected inclusivity in this great nation.

Yago Cura is a writer based in Los Angeles. He edits the online journal Hinchas de Poesia and moderates the blog Spicaresque.