FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Press@ltg.ca.gov
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Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis Statement on Trump Administration Memorandum Excluding Immigrants from Census Count
SACRAMENTO – Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis issued the following statement today in response to the Trump Administration releasing a memorandum directing Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to exclude undocumented immigrants from the population totals used to determine Congressional representation:
“The Constitution requires the Census to count and apportion all people living in each state, regardless of legal status. Trump’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count makes it clear that his goal is to suppress the voice of immigrants, and the states they live in.
California will continue to work harder than ever to encourage all Californians to participate in the Census.”
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Eleni Kounalakis is the 50th lieutenant governor of California and the first woman elected to the position. From 2010 to 2013, Kounalakis served as President Barack Obama’s Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom designated Kounalakis as his Representative for International Affairs and Trade Development, and as Chair of the corresponding Interagency Committee that oversees the state’s trade, investment and international relations. Kounalakis also serves on the three-member State Lands Commission, and as a voting member of the University of California Board of Regents and the California State University Board of Trustees.