Clergy urge boycott of census (If undocumented immigrants are valuable enough to be counted

northjersey.com ^ | June 10, 2009 | ELIZABETH LLORENTE & Herb Jackson

[Coleus]

If undocumented immigrants are valuable enough to be counted in the Census, then they ought to be legalized.

That’s the argument being made by a national group of Latino evangelical clergy, led by a Ridgefield Park pastor, that wants undocumented immigrants to boycott the 2010 Census unless immigration reform is passed this year. The group also plans to expand the call in December to Latinos who are U.S. citizens and legal residents if Congress does not pass reform legislation by then, said the Rev. Miguel Rivera of Ridgefield Park, president and founder of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders.

Rivera argues that by participating in the Census, illegal immigrants help their communities receive more attention and funding, yet they hardly benefit in return “If undocumented immigrants are good enough, valuable enough, to be counted in the Census so that politicians and communities can get more resources and states can justify more congressional seats, then they should be good enough to be legalized,” Rivera said. “President Obama promised that this year there would be comprehensive immigration reform, and Latinos voted overwhelmingly for him.

“But there is no bill, even though there is a health care bill.” He said he and other pastors from the group, known as CONLAMIC, will demonstrate on the west side of the White House next week, when Obama is to meet with congressional leaders over immigration: “The leadership in the White House and Congress are procrastinating. It’s time to pay the piper. We believe boycotting the Census will get the attention of Congress, mayors and governors.

“Over one million undocumented immigrants from our churches alone will be absentee from the Census,” Rivera said. “If we get to the end of the year and we include the documented in the boycott, it will be many, many more people.”

The boycott proposal has received mixed reaction in New Jersey and elsewhere, including among Latinos. Those Latinos say that, while they sympathize with CONLAMIC’s frustrations, an accurate Census count is essential.

Paterson’s Deputy Mayor Elsa Mantilla said she opposes the boycott because an undercount would rob cities such as hers — an immigrant hub — of proper levels of funding for schools, medical services and programs for immigrants.

But others say such a boycott may be an important last resort in pressing for laws that will fix the immigration system and address the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

“One can’t blame a community that has been so marginalized from feeling offended that they are merely numbers and the system will only use them further,” said Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, chairman of the Immigration Task Force of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. “[Politicians] want to reach for certain numbers [for resources] then don’t want to give these people driver’s licenses, which would allow them to earn a living wage."

[Coleus]

FAST FACTS

The boycott called by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is being closely watched around the country.

• Population and income information gathered by the Census every 10 years is used to calculate how the federal government distributes funding for thousands of programs, including transit and highway safety grants, food and nutrition programs, crime victim assistance, bulletproof vests for police and anti-gang initiatives.
• The Census also is used to determine how the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned among the 50 states. Because New Jersey's population has been growing slower than that of the rest of the country's, the state could lose one of its 13 seats after the 2010 Census, and some state officials are pressing for an aggressive marketing effort to get people to respond to Census takers so every person in the state can be counted.
• CONLAMIC has grown infuential in recent years, boasting a membership of more than 20,000 churches in 34 states.
• Latino groups are divided over the boycott. Some say participating in it will result in an undercount that will deprive areas with large immigrant populations of crucial funds. Others say the boycott is needed to underscore the urgency for comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
• The Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, a coalition of some of the state’s leading Hispanic groups, says it sympathizes with CONLAMIC’s reasons for leading the boycott, and will decide at a meeting whether to formally endorse it. LLANJ is a partner organization of the Census Bureau.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Counting non-citizens in the census is like counting three fifths of the slaves prior to Emancipation.

If you're not a citizen, you have no representation in the Congress. Period.

[ought-six]

Sounds like the latino clergy are racists.

[goodnesswins]

Democrats are Racists....read “Unfounded Loyalty” by Wayne Perryman (a black man).

[South40]

[metmom]

ping

[spintreebob]

The boycott is posturing and will never happen. But it will give the bureaucrats the opportunity to do the same computer modeling that discovered global warming.

The computer model will try to calculate the number of people missed because of the boycott (which won’t actually exist, except in the press releases and computer model).

The left is still puzzled why the Bush administration didn’t exploit its opportunity with the census. We claim that babies in the womb are real persons. If so, why did just a few of us (and not anyone in the prolife groups) urge the counting of ALL persons? There is an obvious demographic reason to be able to know the expected population growth in the future for maternity wards, daycare, schools, and especially gubmint spending based on population.

I too am puzzled at the lack of ability of our side to do the obvious that both is consistent with our ideology, and benefits us.

[Joann37]

“If undocumented immigrants are valuable enough to be counted in the Census, then they ought to be legalized.”

I agree!

Don’t count them, and don’t legalize them. Back to Mexico they go!

[gubamyster]

ping

[NewRomeTacitus]

Rivera argues that by participating in the Census, illegal immigrants help their communities receive more attention and funding, yet they hardly benefit in return.

That's odd, as illegal aliens manage to absorb far more resources than citizens and legal immigrants despite their habit of avoiding census takers.

“Over one million undocumented immigrants from our churches alone will be absentee from the Census,” Rivera said. “If we get to the end of the year and we include the documented in the boycott, it will be many, many more people.”

I, for one, wouldn't consider "one million" illegal sheeple following one delusional pastor's orders to be good candidates for citizenship.

Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes, chairman of the Immigration Task Force of the New Jersey League of Municipalities. “[Politicians] want to reach for certain numbers [for resources] then don’t want to give these people driver’s licenses, which would allow them to earn a living wage."

No, Mayor Wildes, the citizens you're supposed to be serving don't want illegals granted licenses. If you weren't so far up the collective butt of your largest contributors your ears would be free to hear your constituants.

And what a magic trick! The bogus 12 million number of illegals bandied about for the last seven years has GONE DOWN to 11 million. Hooray for the Ministry of Information!

[NewRomeTacitus]

How many illegal aliens are in the U.S.? As of this post: 39,884,532.