Chicago joins lawsuit against Trump administration over citizenship question in census

CHICAGO, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Chicago joined a coalition of U.S. cities and state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to block the Trump administration from demanding citizenship information in the 2020 census, its mayor announced on Tuesday.

The lawsuit argues that asking residents about their citizenship status would create fears in cities and states with large immigrant population, and a lower response rate would directly threaten those jurisdictions' number of seats in the U.S. House as well as their share of federal funding.

"The Trump administration's attempt to politicize the census is par for the course for a president who never misses an opportunity to degrade democracy, sow seeds of prejudice, and disempower our country's urban centers," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a statement.

"President Trump is trying to force America's immigrants into the shadows, and Chicago is proud to join with leaders from across the country in standing up to the latest effort to undermine our residents' rights," he added.

The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The legal move was joined by 18 state Attorneys General and six cities, and supported by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Enditem