Washington D.C. – Every 10 years, as required by the U.S. Constitution, the federal government undertakes a massive nationwide effort to count the residents of the United States, who now number more than 300 million. The results form the basis for the apportionment of congressional districts and the distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds, as well as serving to guide a wide range of community-planning decisions across the country. The Census is, however, no stranger to controversy, such as the suggestion by some activists that immigrants sit out the Census this year to protest the federal government's failure to enact comprehensive immigration reform. Yet, among immigrants, ethnic minorities and other demographic groups who are typically under-counted in the Census, a boycott would be self-defeating. The Immigration Policy Center has prepared a fact check that explains what's at stake and how anyone living in an area afflicted by a large under-count stands to lose out on political representation and access to economic and educational opportunities. To read the fact check in its entirety see:

• The 2010 Census: The Stakes of an Accurate Count (IPC Fact Check, March 3, 2010)