Census head vows ‘independent’ count amid heated politics

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – The U.S. Census director is promising the 2020 Census will remain independent and will avoid political pressures amid uncertainty over how the bureau will question immigrants.

U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham told reporters in Albuquerque on Wednesday bureau workers have taken a “lifetime oath” not to share private information from residents. He also vowed the bureau would make sure states with high percentages of Latinos and Native Americans receive accurate counts.

Dillingham was in New Mexico for a bureau’s four-day tour of the state’s rural communities and the Navajo Nation.

His visit comes as the U.S. Supreme Court reviews a possible question about whether a person is a United States citizen.

Democratic U.S, Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico says all communities should feel safe about filling out the 2020 Census.