HOUSTON — Houston is one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. But will the U.S. Census be able to show that growth accurately?
"For immigrant families, any time they have to deal with the federal government, there is fear that rises in them," said Cesar Espinosa, executive director of FIEL.
According to a new survey published this week by the Urban Institute, 40 percent of Hispanic immigrant families are extremely concerned about how their answers for the census will be used.
"It’s not shocking to us that these numbers are coming back," Espinosa said.
That is why immigrant rights organizations like FIEL have partnered with the U.S Census to inform the immigrant community, letting them know all information collected by the census will not be shared with other government agencies.
Soon they’ll begin knocking on doors to debunk those fears and helping them fill out the forms.
"At the end of the day, this not only hurts immigrant communities, but it hurts communities in general," espinosa said. "Because at the end of the day, the communities will not get the resources that they greatly need."
The census will begin on April 1.
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