Two dozen Latino and Asian-American organizations have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the Trump administration's plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census violates the U.S. constitution because it's racially discriminatory.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Maryland by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Asian Americans Advancing Justice claims the decision to add a question asking people if they're U.S. citizens is motivated by racial animus.
The groups say the question is intended to severely undercount minorities and immigrants, and to dilute their political representation and federal funding to their communities.
The Justice Department has said reinstating the question "will allow the department to protect the right to vote and ensure free and fair elections for all Americans."
