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Census Bureau experts discovered serious flaws within a section of the 2020 Census, which could delay and complicate the enumeration process. The White House demanded the state-by-state totals be finished before Trump leaves office on Jan. 20. Census experts informed the Trump administration last month that the data-processing delays would make it challenging to meet the schedule, but the agency’s political appointees continued to look for shortcuts anyway. The Trump administration needs the state-by-state population totals before President-elect Joe Biden takes office in order to accomplish Trump’s plan of removing undocumented immigrants from the count. The New York Times
In other federal immigration news…
How Biden Will Work With Divided Congress
Biden is tailoring his agenda to work with a sharply divided Congress and handle the difficulties of making laws during the pandemic. He’s so far focusing on establishing a variety of executive orders to help his priorities on climate change and immigration without dealing with a congressional gridlock. The plan reflects a disappointing political reality for Biden. He promised to take huge legislative action on immigration reform and gun control, but Democrats know that will be improbable if they don’t win the Senate. Associated Press
Federal Agents Blocked from Anonymously Policing Protests
Congress will approve a defense policy bill that will block unidentified federal law enforcement officers from policing protests. Back in June, Mother Jones reported that federal law enforcement officers with no identification joined the Trump administration’s restraint on protests in several cities. The 4,500-page annual defense policy bill that came from a House/Senate policy committee on Thursday requires any armed forces personnel, National Guard members and federal law enforcement agents who respond to a “civil disturbance” show either their name or another form of “individual identifier.” Mother Jones
