DNC spokesperson Vedant Patel released the following statement on the potential impacts in California after the U.S. Department of Commerce announced it would be adding a citizenship question to the census:

“This is a craven attack on our democracy and a transparent attempt to intimidate immigrant communities. The census is a constitutionally-mandated count of all U.S. residents, not a political tool for Donald Trump and his administration to push his agenda and disempower people of color. California – home to millions of immigrants, many not yet citizens, would see dire consequences from a highly flawed and inaccurate census count. Representation in Congress and the state legislature, as well as the allocation of critical resources that working families all across the state rely on, would all be at jeopardy.

“By adding a citizenship question, Trump and his Republicans are stoking fear and all but guaranteeing an inaccurate count that lays the groundwork for sustained racial gerrymandering and jeopardizes critical resources for communities across the country. Democrats will fight this attempt to undermine our democracy in Congress, in the courts, and at the ballot box.”