According to the Federal Census Bureau, 53 percent of the New Yorkers are not registered with the Bureau and 43 percent of the unregistered residents are of South Asian origin. This was stated by Census representatives Sohail Farooqi, Zikria Ahmad and others during a briefing given to the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community media at Kerhai and Grill Restaurant in Jackson Heights on September 10.

The census spokespersons explained that members of Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi communities had been hired by the Bureau in the outreach effort to ensure that all the uncounted residents of South Asian origin are counted in the 2010 census. They informed the media that the majority of the unregistered residents were from Queens and indicated that 74 percent of the South Asians living in Jamaica, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Richmond Hills, Astoria, Woodside, Elmhurst, Corona and other neighborhoods had not returned the form in the past census counts. They said reaching out to these communities was not only an uphill task but also was threatening the provision of civic amenities in these areas.

The principal reason for underdevelopment of some of these communities, they pointed out, is the fact that the federal government releases development funds for communities across the nation on the basis of population data derived from census. They reported that the federal government distributes $400 billion each year on the basis of census data, which adds up to almost $3 trillion over a period of a decade and explained that states, cities and communities across the nation plan new schools, hospitals, roads and other civic amenities using the census data. To illustrate how undercounted communities are being affected, they pointed to Richmond High School, which was built for a maximum capacity of 1,500 students and today has 4,000 students enrolled. According to the speakers, local hospitals face the same situation.

One of the reasons for the low registration with the Bureau in Queens, according to the Bureau, is the high density of the borough's immigrant population, the majority of which was scared to fill out the census forms. They stressed that the census data will neither be shared with the FBI nor used for any other purpose, and called upon immigrants to actively participate in the census exercise for the greater benefit of their communities. If the 54 percent unregistered residents are counted in the next census, the explained, it could add two seats for New York in the U.S. Congress, an opportunity missed in the last census due to undercounting.