Under-counting the census by 1% could cost Texas $300 million a year. In Rio Grande City, former Mayor Reuben Villareal estimates the 2010 census was under-counted by 15-20% in his city, alone. Despite this year’s census not having a citizenship question, Villareal expects the expensive silence to be deafening in border communities where rhetoric about immigration, the wall, and deportations has created a chilling effect for the legally-required survey that not only determines how many representatives Texas gets in Congress, but also the state’s share of federal funding and the drawing of legislative districts.

PODCAST GUESTS:

Reuben Villareal, former mayor of Rio Grande City / Reuben’s Twitter account 

Luis Figueroa, Center for Public Policy Priorities / Luis’s Twitter account

WEBSITE LINKS:

What is the US Census?

The 2020 Census is underway

How the 2020 Census will invite you to respond