1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Citizens are required by law to participate in the decennial census, which ensures fair representation in Congress and proper allocation of federal funding for critical public services. Excluding noncitizens from the census count would be unconstitutional and severely undermine the accuracy and integrity of this foundational civic process. The 14th Amendment explicitly states that congressional apportionment must be based on "the whole number of persons in each state," making no exceptions for citizenship status. Distorting the census to undercount immigrant communities would deprive diverse states of their rightful share of representation and funding, violating core democratic principles. I urge you to defend the letter and spirit of the Constitution by rejecting any attempts to manipulate the census for partisan gain. An accurate, complete population count is essential for our nation's districts and resources to be properly aligned with the true makeup of our communities.