Yesterday, in yet another attempt to marginalize U.S. immigrants and inject hate into politics, Senator David Vitter (LA-R) introduced an amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill that would require questions in the 2010 census on immigration status. If passed, Vitter's amendment would throw a monkey wrench into the U.S. Census, making it completely unreliable as the one document that is supposed to paint an accurate picture of who we are as a nation.

The real truth behind Vitter's amendment?

Anti-immigrant legislators like Vitter are willing to compromise the accuracy of the census in their obsessive efforts to inject an anti-immigrant agenda into every conceivable realm of public life. But the real policy ramifications are endless. If passed, this amendment would stop the 2010 Census dead in its tracks--preventing the questionnaire forms from being mailed next spring and wasting over $7 billion in research, planning, and preparation that has occurred for Census 2010. And of course, it would discourage millions of immigrants from participating in the 2010 Census--potentially costing hundreds of billions in lost funding to local communities and diminishing the political power of states like Texas, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Florida and Nevada with large immigrant populations.

But the real damage of the Vitter amendment goes beyond its immediate cost to taxpayers and its impact on U.S. immigrant communities. If passed, it would completely undermine a hallowed institution that has been in our constitution from the very beginning. Held every 10 years, the U.S. Census determines Congressional reapportionment and political representation in State Legislatures and hundreds of legislative bodies at the local level. It also decides the allocation of more than $400 billion in Federal funds to communities annually--including funds for Medicaid, voter protection, SCHIP, childcare, early child education, school lunch, and other vital services. Critical to businesses, governments and the independent sector, the Census serves as the fundamental source of information on our nation's demographic makeup--guiding private and public research projects that influence a broad range of social/policy decisions.

A failed 2010 U.S. Census count has massive implications that could be devastating to communities for the next decade--and supporting an amendment that takes away the ability of the Census to paint an accurate portrait of America is not smart.

Let's be frank. Every ten years we see the same mass politicization of the Census; and the same lies and innuendo from those who worry that the new story we tell about America will strip away their power. This is part of what we are seeing right now with Senator Vitter. And it's what we're seeing with the incessant rants and false allegations among right-wing pundits. There is no place for such fanatical hate speech anywhere in America today--especially not in the halls of Congress. America doesn't need zealots; we need smart, pragmatic reformers who bring communities together to solve our nation's most critical challenges.

In order to get an accurate count and uphold the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Census count should be isolated from petty, divisive politics. To that, SEIU urges Senators to vote against Senator Vitter's efforts to poison the 2010 U.S. Census and turn our nation on a backwards course. An accurate 2010 Census count is simply too critical to recognizing our nation's true diversity and building a better future for all of us. Tell your Senator to vote NO on Senate Amendment 2644 now.