Antonio Frias, 45, who works as a food deliveryman in Inwood, is well aware of the 2010 Census – it's all over the radio news programs and Telemundo, he said. Still, when it comes time to fill out the form that begins arriving in mailboxes this month and mail it back by April 1, Frias isn't sure he'll be participating with the rest of the country.
For Frias, who came to New York two years ago from Colombia on a work visa and is quick to point out his legal status, giving out all of his information to the government still feels too risky, he said.
"Imagino como que no vale la pena [I think maybe it is not worth it]," he said.
Despite the fact that it is illegal to use information from the census to deport someone, fear of deportation is still a major concern for recent immigrants, according to Almirea Santiago, civic program coordinator at the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrants Rights.
It's a fear that has grown significantly since the last census, she said, and could keep many from participating in the 2010 national count. Immigration Customs and Enforcement, the federal investigative agency responsible for many of the recent raids that Frias and others see in the news, was only created in 2003.
For many, Santiago explained, just having a job and living in the United States "that's as good as it gets," there's "no need to get ambitious" and start filing taxes and being political by filling out the census. "It's like why draw attention to myself, we're good," she said.
A lack of immigration papers isn't the only thing causing some to consider avoiding the census, says Eddie Silverio who is in charge of census outreach at Alianza Dominicana. He's already heard a host of questions and concerns from clients through his staff at Alianza's various locations in the community.
Many who rent out an extra room in their rent-subsidized apartment fear it will be discovered by the city if they fill out the census. This is a common concern in the New York Community Housing Authority's Dyckman Houses and the Polo Grounds, Silverio said. It's not just a concern with Latino immigrants, he said, the census is a concern in the Russian immigrant populations as well.
One ESL [English as a Second Language] student was recently concerned when according to official documents she lived with her cousin, but in actuality she lives somewhere else with her aunt.
"Everything we know about what makes people hard to count is associated with the immigrant population," said Jeff Passel, senior demographer of the PEW Hispanic Center, who has worked for the census for 15 years and dedicated his career to quantifying the elusive group.
Lower response rates for immigrant and low-income areas are a historic pattern in the data, he said. But in the end, the lack of participation won't affect the overall count much. Whether it is through door-to-door visits or statistical estimates extrapolated from the patterns of the area, people like Frias will be counted. It's the cost to the taxpayer that will be affected most.
It costs the government 42 cents to mail out a form to one household. If the form is not mailed back by April 1, a census employee will be sent to the address up to six different times, costing taxpayers on average $57 a household. Nationally, Passel said, every time the mail back response rate increases one percentage point, the census saves $85 million.
This is why it's so important that organizations and individuals on the front lines get on board and make the case to people like Frias, Silverio said. "It's all about trust, someone that people trust," he said.
According to Passel the Census's Partnership Program, which enlists local organizations and community leaders to promote the census, was a large part of the success of the count in 2000. Estimates before the count were far below the actual numbers that came in that year, and it was clear, Passel said, that the unanticipated gain came from increased immigrant turnout.
A survey of Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles just after the census found that nearly 85 percent of undocumented immigrants said they participated in the census. "It surprised a lot of us," Passel said.
Waiting inside the waiting room at the Alianza office on Amsterdam Avenue and W. 179th Street, Marlen Ramos, who came to the country eight years ago from Honduras, said she is not worried about participating. "Eso no se va a compartir con nadie [This won't be shared with anyone]," she said, "eso es confidencial [it's confidential]."
Frias is still skeptical. "Eso dicen ellos pero yo no sé [That's what they say, but I don't know]," he said. How can he be sure the government won't change its mind later as the president did, he said. "Obama no está cumpliendo con sus compromisos de la campaña [Obama isn't fulfilling the commitments he made in his campaign]," he said speaking of his pledge to reform immigration policy.
Frias is unsure but there is still time to convince him otherwise, Santiago said. "It's about how many people tell you certain pieces of information," she said.
