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CA Attorney General Sues Over 2020 Census Question On Citizenship Status

SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) -- California's Attorney General is suing the Trump administration over a plan to bring immigration into census-taking.

The Commerce Department announced the 2020 U.S. Census will include a question about citizenship status.

Commerce says in a press release issued Monday night that the citizenship data will help the Justice Department enforce the Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voting rights.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra says the move could jeopardize the accuracy of the survey and discourage immigrants from responding.

A coalition of state attorneys general urged the Commerce Department last month to not add such a question.

The census is taken every 10 years and helps determine political representation in Congress, federal funding of programs and other matters.

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