Misguided Census Dodgers Must Wake Up

Raul Reyes posted an editorial this morning concerning recent urges by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC) for illegal Latino immigrants to boycott the 2010 Census. This group represents some 20,000 churches in 34 states and believes that national government fear of a severe miscount may press legislation concerning immigration reform.
Reyes points to flaws in their logic. He says that CONLAMIC is creating a link between immigration reform and the Census where none exists. The Census asks nothing about immigration status and has no direct link to US Customs Enforcement. Being a man of some Latino heritage, one would expect his motives to be pure in favor of helping the Latino community.
And Reyes is right. The Census count is used for federal redistricting, funds dispersal, and apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives. Clearly, if the Latino community was conscious of this information, they would know how much every Latino counts. Not only would Census-counted illegal immigrants be able to continue working undiscovered, but their communities would receive more funding and more representation in US legislature.
Supporters of the boycott claim that funding will go to policing Latino communities and Census information will go to the Department of Homeland Security, all for the purpose of rooting out illegals. Reyes seems to believe that privacy rules concerning the bureau have strengthened sufficiently to keep this from being a problem.
Mr. Reyes is a New York attorney, so I tend to believe his word concerning legal changes and effects, which is essentially what the whole concern is. In fact, problems that he claims solution to, such as the fact that Homeland Security used information against the Japanese and Arabs in the past, are what CONLAMIC should be worrying about. His attention to and trust in law underlines legal ignorance, not to mention already plain distrust, in the Latino community characteristic of a lower income demographic.
The lower income bracket is also characteristically less informed. Would they be expected to read USA Today? Well, the Latino community is a wide and diverse group, so one can assume at least some small percentage must read the paper. This editorial is pointed at them. Sarcasm like "let's get serious" and strong words like "political suicide" must be meant to draw attention to the issue, and he is clearly directing these words at CONLAMIC and Census boycott supporters to halt irrational and harmful action. Those in favor of justice can only hope his message is heard.