The Arlington County Board voted unanimously Thursday to join a lawsuit filed against President Donald Trump challenging the lawfulness of his “Memorandum on Excluding Illegal Aliens from the Apportionment Base Following the 2020 Census.”
The county said in a statement Trump’s executive memo is an unconstitutional attempt to circumvent the 2019 Supreme Court decision that halted the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.
“The Constitution requires an accurate count of our population every 10 years. The information from the Census is a crucial record that helps determine the Federal resources we receive over the next decade and is used for planning and research,” County Board Chair Libby Garvey said.
“We must have an accurate count of everyone living in Arlington and refuse to allow this unlawful effort to scare people and suppress the Census count of our immigrant community. Whether documented or undocumented, our immigrant residents are valued members of our community. We are determined that they will be accurately counted,” she said.
The county said the Trump administration “is trying to undermine the accuracy and integrity of the 2020 Census and create fear of participation among undocumented immigrants,” citing the president’s attempt to shorten the census time frame by nearly two months.
Arlington County estimates it receives $50 million in funding based on census data and said 71% of its residents have already responded to the 2020 Census.
