Senator Dick Durbin warned the public about the upcoming census Monday, indicating that if President Trump adds the citizenship question to it, it could cost the state of Illinois a lot of money in federal funds.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration's plans to include a citizenship question, but now the president says he might issue an executive order to include it.
Some Chicago-area residents in the Little Village neighborhood say they are concerned about those who are undocumented and also about the count being accurate if there is refusal to participate.
"I think they’re going to get caught; They’re going to get deported or whatever, you know, it depends on their situation," said a Chicago-area local, Ludvina Izzari.
Senator Dick Durbin said it could gravely impact federal funds.
"For every person not counted in the census in Illinois, we will lose $1800 a year," Durbin said.
While it's a year away, Durbin says it's not too early to discuss why the census matters.
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"If we don’t count those people, we don’t get that money," Durbin added. "That means federal tax dollars go to some other state."
As of now, the census forms are being printed without the citizenship question in place. On Monday afternoon Attorney General Bill Barr said a definitive decision will likely be made in the next day or two.
