US Bishops to urge Census Bureau to withdraw proposed rule changes

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops submitted a public comment to the Commerce Department on Oct. 22 asking the Census Bureau to withdraw proposed rule changes for the 2030 census. The bishops oppose the proposal to count only citizens and lawful permanent residents for congressional apportionment.

The bishops stated that excluding noncitizens without lawful permanent resident status would deny them recognition as persons and conflict with the equal dignity of every person. They noted that the changes could harm federal funding for infrastructure, anti-poverty, family support, and healthcare programs if millions of people are excluded from the count.

The Census Bureau stated that noncitizens without lawful permanent resident status should not be included in the apportionment count because they lack sufficient ties or allegiance to the United States. The bureau also proposed removing some demographic questions. The public comment period for these changes remains open until Nov. 2.