Immigrants at the frontlines of COVID-19 and the 2020 Census

By Javier Hernandez, director Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice

Immigrants are not only at the frontlines of COVID-19, risking their lives to keep this country running, they are also the President’s main scapegoat and at the front end of every major government action being taken at the moment. The structural racism in the United States has been exposed, and continues pouring out on our TV screens, our newsfeeds and being documented on the streets.

This moment in history will define a generation. Its importance cannot be understated. We must understand the systems of exclusion that have negatively impacted immigrants and other marginalized communities and have the courage to confront it head on. Our communities are organizing and mobilizing to ensure that every resident of our community is civically engaged.
As a community, we can influence the next decade by filling out the Census and encouraging our families and neighbors to do so as well. The Census is about the wellness and future of our community, this is our opportunity to shift course and bring highly needed resources to historically underserved neighborhoods. For too long our communities have been left behind and disregarded. But this is one opportunity to shift course and ensure that our communities get access to the resources we deserve.

The Inland Empire could be a prosperous region for all; however,local officials have held hostage local resources and chosen to concentrate them in already wealthy communities. Extracting wealth, resources, and opportunities from low-income communities and not prioritizing grants where needed. County funds have been largely allocated to police Black and Latino communities instead of investing in critical services.

At the same time, President Trump is attempting to stoke fear and division when it comes to the census. Anti-immigrants understand the power of our community, that’s why they work so hard to keep us down and divided. It’s why he will continue to use dog-whistles and attempt to normalize hate against us.

When it comes to the census, there are serious concerns that are raised by our communities. Specifically, “how will the information be used?’, ‘who will have access to it?’, and ‘can it be used by other agencies?” these are real concerns that cannot be ignored or dismissed. The reality is that government institutions have historically abused their power and used our engagement and civic participation to undermine our growth. However, while these are real concerns, we will not live in fear. We will not allow racist attacks from the president that targets our community in attempt to scare us away of building power for our communities.

The Census 2020 will be historic, immigrant communities will continue to participate and be at the frontlines fighting for their families and communities.

The census happens every 10 years, but this year it will change the Inland Empire for generations to come.