rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/take-action-stop-erasing-mena-americans-from-the-census?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-take-action-stop-erasing-mena-americans-from-the-census' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Arab American Civic Council https://actionnetwork.org/groups/arab-american-civic-council https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/459/118/normal/Stop_the_Erasure_of_Millions_of_MENA_Americans_from_the_Census_(1).png The 2030 Census should count everyone who lives here. Your comment can help keep it that way. Every ten years, the census counts everyone living in the U.S. Those numbers decide how many seats each state gets in Congress and how many Electoral College votes it has. They also guide how funding reaches our schools, clinics, roads, and housing for the next ten years. On September 10, 2026, the Census Bureau proposed two changes to this vital study: Millions of people would be left out of the count for Congress. Only U.S. citizens and green-card holders would count. Refugees, asylum seekers, people with Temporary Protected Status, students, workers on visas, and others who live and work here could be erased from the count that decides their community’s representation. The census would stop asking about race and ethnicity. In 2024, federal standards finally added a “Middle Eastern or North African” (MENA) option. Our communities fought for a MENA category over many years, knowing that the lack of data on MENA Americans perpetuates our invisibility. If implemented, this proposal would perpetuate the general lack of public awareness regarding the needs and strengths of MENA Americans — on the nation’s most important population study, no less. The Bureau also says these changes will get more people to respond and protect privacy. But telling people that some of them don’t count is more likely to scare people away from the census and deepen privacy fears — the very problems the Bureau says it wants to solve. The Bureau also admits it cannot put a dollar figure on what these changes would cost. So let’s tell them. A shorter form is not worth ten years of worse data and weaker representation. The Bureau must read and consider public comments. Tell them what these changes would cost you, your family, and your community. Deadline: Tuesday, October 13, 2026. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/take-action-stop-erasing-mena-americans-from-the-census