On the other hand, Councilwoman Kate Gallego, said the federal government added the citizenship question to “intimidate people into not participating in the census.”
Phoenix stands to lose $170 million every year
Data from the Census Bureau showed that undocumented immigrants represent approximately 13% of Phoenix’s population, according to deputy city manager Karen Peters.
Peters said Phoenix stands to lose $350 in state funding and $150 in state funding every year for every person not counted . She estimated that the city could lose a total of $170 million annually.
Meanwhile, Mayor Greg Stanton commented that Peters’ estimate was conservative. He said the citizenship question is “bad for a lot of different reasons–not just the money, not just the political representation.”
He added, “We have to know who’s in our community, who’s in our country. We have to do an accurate census.”
