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Hansi Lo Wang Profile picture
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21 Jan, 8 tweets, 3 min read
NEW: President Biden's census executive order revokes Trump's apportionment memo *and* Trump's executive order on collecting citizenship records — but it does not address Trump admin directives for the Census Bureau to produce block-level citizenship data
npr.org/sections/inaug…
2. ICYMI, the Trump admin directed the Census Bureau to use gov't records to produce block-level citizenship data that GOP strategist Thomas Hofeller concluded "would be advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites" when redrawing voting districts
npr.org/2020/05/20/855…
3. The executive order Biden signed today does not end that citizenship data project, but it does rescind Trump's July 2019 executive order that directed federal agencies to share records with the Census Bureau. It's not clear what will happen to the records the bureau's compiled
4. It's important to remember former President Donald Trump issued that July 2019 executive order after the courts struck down the Trump admin's push to add a citizenship question. There was a lot of hoopla about how the order was a new backup plan after not getting the question.
5. In fact, the now-former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross directed the Census Bureau to start compiling government records on citizenship in March 2018, more than a year before Trump's executive order on collecting citizenship records was issued:
beta.documentcloud.org/documents/4426… Accordingly, at my direction the Census Bureau is working to
6. Biden's executive order does not address that March 2018 directive by Ross.

It also doesn't address this directive Ross announced in a July 2019 regulatory filing re: producing citizen voting age population data "that states may use in redistricting":
beta.documentcloud.org/documents/6192… Accordingly, the Secretary has directed the Census Bureau to
7. So, this story isn't over yet.

If this block-level citizenship data becomes available, it could result in voting districts that don't take into account children, noncitizens and other residents who aren't eligible to vote.
npr.org/2020/11/06/931…
8. UPDATE: Asked if DOJ believes block-level citizenship data would be more appropriate than American Community Survey estimates for redistricting & litigation re: Section 2 of Voting Rights Act (per 2017 Trump admin letter), spokesperson Kristina Mastropasqua said: "No comment."

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More from @hansilowang

Hansi Lo Wang Profile picture
21 Jan
One year ago today, members of the Nunakauyarmiut Tribe in Toksook Bay, Alaska became the first people counted for the 2020 census
npr.org/sections/pictu…
2. Since 1960, counting for the U.S. census has started in the most remote parts of the state in January, ahead of the rest of the country. That's when the ground is still frozen, making it easier for door knockers to reach far-flung communities
npr.org/2019/01/21/686…
3. Last year, in addition to COVID-19, warming temperatures and thawing permafrost made it harder to get an accurate count for the 2020 census in some of Alaska's most remote communities
npr.org/2020/02/10/802…
Read 4 tweets
Hansi Lo Wang Profile picture
20 Jan
NEW: One of Biden’s first executive orders will revoke the Trump administration’s policy of excluding unauthorized immigrants from a key census count that, according to the Constitution, must include the “whole number of persons in each state.” From the Biden transition team: Reverse President Trump’s Executive Order Excluding Undocu
2. After being sworn in as the 46th president of the U.S., Biden is expected to sign this executive order about the census apportionment counts at around 5:15 p.m. ET, after which the actual text of the order is set to be released.
3. “President-elect Biden will ensure that the Census Bureau has time to complete an accurate population count for each state,” the Biden transition team’s fact sheet says.

This, however, will also require Congress to pass a new law that extends legal reporting deadlines.
Read 10 tweets
Hansi Lo Wang Profile picture
19 Jan
I was surprised to see the Pew Research Center & Yale researchers mentioned in the outgoing Trump-appointed Census Bureau director's latest blog post on the noncitizen data request that got called off after whistleblower complaints, so I did some digging..
census.gov/newsroom/blogs… It is my understanding that estimates of unauthorized non-ci
2. In case you need more background, Steven Dillingham tried to pressure career civil servants at the bureau to produce a data report with state-by-state figures of noncitizens that one whistleblower said would have been "statistically indefensible":
npr.org/2021/01/18/957…
3. Dillingham's blog post is correct that the Pew Research Center produces unauthorized immigrant estimates. That research is led by a demographer who used to work at the bureau. Here's more on Jeffrey Passel:
pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019…
Read 7 tweets
Hansi Lo Wang Profile picture
19 Jan
Today is Steven Dillingham’s last full day as Census Bureau director.

Dillingham’s departure at noon ET tomorrow clears the entire slate of Trump appointees at the bureau, where Ron Jarmin, the career deputy director, will serve again as acting director.
npr.org/2021/01/18/957…
2. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Dillingham to answer my thread of questions about the state-by-state figures of noncitizens that he tried to rush out before Census Bureau whistleblowers complained to the @CommerceOIG:
@CommerceOIG 3. It's not clear exactly when they're out, but I've confirmed all 3 of the newest, controversial Trump appointees at the Census Bureau will have resigned by tomorrow too. My earlier reporting on Nathaniel Cogley, Earl "Trey" Mayfield & Benjamin Overholt:
npr.org/2020/09/30/916…
Read 5 tweets
Hansi Lo Wang Profile picture
18 Jan
BREAKING: Trump's Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham is stepping down on Jan. 20, months before the end of his term, after whistleblowers complained he was pushing for "statistically indefensible" data.

My report (confirming @Tierney_Megan scoop):
npr.org/2021/01/18/957…
@Tierney_Megan 2. The Census Bureau's has posted Dillingham's email announcing his Jan. 20 departure here:
census.gov/newsroom/blogs… To the Outstanding Women and Men of the U.S. Census Bureau: I have been a career civil servant stretching over several d
@Tierney_Megan 3. Dillingham says in a blog post on Census Bureau's website that an unnamed Biden transition official asked him to continue serving as director "during & after the transition." Request's timing is not clear. I've reached out to the Biden team for comment.
census.gov/newsroom/blogs… My retirement plans have progressed over several weeks. My p
Read 19 tweets
Hansi Lo Wang Profile picture
17 Jan
NEW: The chair of @TheBlackCaucus, @RepBeatty (D-Ohio), is joining @RepDavids (D-Kan.) and the chairs of the @CAPAC and @HispanicCaucus in calling for Trump's Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham to resign for trying to rush out an inaccurate data report about noncitizens “I call for Director Dillingham's immediate resignation. I
@TheBlackCaucus @RepBeatty @RepDavids @CAPAC @HispanicCaucus 2. “In using the Census Bureau to carry out a political agenda, Dr. Steven Dillingham has made it clear that he cannot be trusted to lead the agency in producing accurate, fair, and quality data needed to inform the 2020 Census," Rep. @sharicedavids (D-Kan.) says “In using the Census Bureau to carry out a political agend
@TheBlackCaucus @RepBeatty @RepDavids @CAPAC @HispanicCaucus @sharicedavids 3. "We cannot risk having a Census Bureau Director in the coming months who is willing to undermine the accuracy and integrity of the Census for political purposes," @RepJudyChu (D-Calif.) of @CAPAC says.
Read 4 tweets

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