Could Census Question Cost Minnesota a Congressional Seat?

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota's state demographer says adding a question about citizenship status to the 2020 U.S. Census will make the count less accurate.

Susan Brower said Tuesday research shows fear about the population count taken every 10 years keeps people from responding, and those fears are often highest among immigrants.

Minnesota has seen waves of Somali and Hmong immigrants boost its population. Brower says even legal immigrants are concerned about giving the government more information.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is urging Congress to remove the citizenship question, which hasn't been used in the census since 1950.

Frey says an inaccurate low count of diverse populations would hurt cities like Minneapolis when it comes to distributing federal money.

Minnesota could lose one of its eight U.S. House seats depending on the 2020 census.

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