Legal Perspectives
Mineta Fellow Phillip Ozaki shares three interesting points about why everyone should fill out your census form:
1. It is against the law to not fill out your form
That’s right! If you do not fill out your Census form, you are subject to a $100 fine. Even undocumented immigrants have to fill it out by law because they live here. If you give false information, you are subject to a $500 fine. Lastly, if you do not fill out your American Community Survey (read more in the Feb 1-5 Digest), you are subject to a $5000 fine. Refusal to submit your form will not only cause your community a loss in numbers and funding, it is also illegal.
2. If Comprehensive Immigration Reform passes, how will undocumented immigrants prove they resided in the U.S.?
Currently, the JACL and our nation are in an immigration reform debate. The JACL supports a fair legalization process for undocumented immigrants to become U.S. citizens after taking the proper steps and paying a fine. Historically, immigration laws that provide amnesty, legalization, or other special benefits to undocumented immigrants in the U.S. require proof that the immigrant has been present in the U.S. since a specific date. How would an undocumented immigrant do this?
No one, not even the government, can access census data. However, it is possible for individuals to obtain a transcript of his or her census record. He or she must complete an application and pay a fee (currently $65) and could use their census form to prove this and become eligible for citizenship. Although many immigrant communities have concerns of the census, an additional benefit of filling out a form is proof of residency. As reported below, this information is 100% confidential
3. Census Data is 100% Safe
As reported over and over in Census Short Stories, census data is protected under Title 13 of the law. Even the Patriot Act can not breech census data. This has been guaranteed by high level officials including Secretary of Commerce Gary Lock who emphasizes that “information collected is used for statistical purposes only”.
This Census Short Story speaks to the importance of filling out your census for legal and legalization reasons and reminds you that it is confidential by law.The 2010 Census is in 6 weeks! Make sure you count!
Sources: https://www.aaldef.org, http://www.fillinourfuture.org
Related links:
> Census 2010
> What to Write
> Census 2010 in Lao
> Census 2010 Supporters
> Census 2010 Team
> Questionnaire Assistance Centers
> Count Every Lao
> Demographics
> FAQ
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