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For Hispanics, 2010 Census Mixes Hopes, Fears

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   The April 1 Decennial Census kickoff next year is already attracting lots of cooperation and some apprehension among leaders of Hispanic organizations. As they pledge to work closely with the U.S. Census Bureau on outreach, they are expressing concern that the federal government could, among other worries, miss counting well over a million Hispanics, as it admitted to doing in 2000.

   "The census is the foundation of our democracy and we cannot have fair representation as Latinos in Congress and state legislatures without a full census," emphasizes Arturo Vargas, National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials executive director.

   Raúl Cisneros, the Decennial's media relations branch chief at the U.S. Department of Commerce, points out that starting with the 2012 election, "The count is used to determine how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives."

   If the three percent Hispanic undercount of the 2000 Census is repeated in 2010, 1.4 million Latinos will be missed, by the bureau's own admission. That, advocates emphasize, is equivalent to two congressional districts. 

   Also affected are opportunities, with new political district lines drawn, for more Hispanics to be elected to several state legislatures.

   More than $300 billion in federal funds is awarded annually based on census data to states and communities to support a variety of programs and public services.

   Millions will be allocated for such programs in regions of high Hispanic growth when the new population figures are factored in. Between 2000 and 2010 the U.S. Hispanic population will have increased from 35.3 million to a projected 47.8 million, not counting more than 4 million in Puerto Rico.  

   Several Hispanic organizations have joined forces to help the Census Bureau by launching the campaign Ya es hora, ¡Hágase Contar! (It's Time, Make Yourself Count!).

   The project is led by NALEO, which promotes participation of Latinos in the U.S. political process.

   In 2006, the Ya es Hora ¡Ciudadanía! (It’s Time - Citizenship!) drive was geared to encourage eligible permanent residents to become U.S. citizens.

   In 2008, a second phase, Ya es Hora _¡Ve y Vota!, rallied Latinos to participate in that year's presidential election.

   Now, with the partnership of Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, NALEO's Educational Fund, along with the National Council of La Raza, League of United Latin American Citizens, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and other ethnic and union groups, the civic action continues with a focus on obtaining a full Census count.

   Involved also are several Spanish-language media companies, among them Azteca América, Entravisión Communications, ImpreMedia, Univisión Communications and Telemundo. On April 1 the latter cable channel, which is directed at bilingual Latinos, kicked off its public service campaign ¡Hazte Contar! (Be Counted).

   Organizations partnering with Telemundo include the LULAC, the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute and MANA, a National Latina Organization.

   The U.S. Constitution requires the Census Bureau to count everyone residing in the United States and its territories every ten years regardless of immigration status. The 2010 Census is expected to cost the government $14 billion. 

   Angelo Falcón, president of the New York-based National Institute for Latino Policy, says to ensure a valid tally, the bureau must hire trained bilingual enumerators, including a sufficient number to reach growing immigrant populations who speak indigenous languages.  

   Falcón, who serves as a member of the Census Bureau's Hispanic advisory committee and chairs the watchdog Latino Census Network, a collaborative of some 30 organizations focused on census issues, mentions workplace raids by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a potentially serious turn-off to communities whose cooperation is essential.

   Gabriela Lemus, president of Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, adds that her organization has already gone on record asking ICE to discontinue its aggressive actions that breed distrust of our government and disrupt families. ICE should direct more enforcement attention to employers who are breaking the law, she says.

   More than 15 percent of the nation's population is Hispanic. Between 2010 and 2050 it is projected to triple, raising the proportion to 25 percent.

   The  Census Bureau projects Hispanics' economic muscle will rise from $862 billion in 2007 to more than $1.2 trillion in 2012, accounting for 9.7 percent of all U.S. buying power.

   (Jacqueline Baylón is a reporter with Hispanic Link News Service in Washington, D.C. Email [email protected])

   ©2009        

  

   Key 2010 Census Dates

   Here are key dates for preparing and conducting a successful 2010 census, as outlined by the U.S. Census Bureau:

   * Fall 2008:  (In progress - recruitment begins for local census jobs for early operations.

   * Spring 2009: Census workers go door-to-door to update address lists.

   * Fall 2009: Major recruitment begins for enumerators needed for peak workload in 2010.

   * February - March 2010: Census questionnaires are mailed or delivered to households.

   *  April 1, 2010: Census Day.

   *  April - July 2010: Census takers visit households that did not return a questionnaire by mail.

   *  December 2010: By law, Census Bureau delivers population counts to President for apportionment.

   *  March 2011: Bureau completes delivery of redistricting data to states.

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