NALEO – National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials

01/15/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/15/2022 15:47

Our Thoughts on New Evidence of Trump's Census Meddling

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund today released the following statement from CEO Arturo Vargas on the newly-released documents outlining the extent to which the Trump administration sought to undermine the 2020 Census:

"These documents uncover explosive proof of a far-reaching conspiracy by the Trump administration, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, to interfere and manipulate the 2020 Census.

"The evidence uncovered has substantiated an unprecedented and reprehensible series of events that many of us feared around how the previous administration viewed the 2020 Census - not as a constitutionally-mandated mechanism through which to preserve our democracy, but as another avenue to pursue political gain.
"The decennial census, mandated by the U.S. Constitution, is the foundation of our democracy. Attempting to manipulate the figures and interfere with the work of career professionals to rig data for partisan gain is an insult to public service, a betrayal of one's oath of office, and un-American.
"Despite the previous administration's attack on the census, the actions by career professionals at the Census Bureau, including top officials Ron Jarmin, Enrique Lamas, and Christa Jones, to resist these efforts and protect the integrity of census operations were nothing short of heroic. NALEO Educational Fund commends these efforts and looks forward to working with the Census Bureau under its new leadership to ensure its work is guided by research and science."