TPMDC has been tracking the progress of Sen. David Vitter’s proposed amendment that would require Census workers to ask immigration status during the 2010 count.
The Obama administration helped dodge a first vote on this earlier this month, but a few centrists Democrats we’ve talked to this week say they may be interested in the amendment as well.
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) sent a terse letter to Vitter (R-LA) outlining the problems she sees in his amendment, including its potential taxpayer cost of $1 billion to reprint Census forms already ready for use.
Her office called the amendment “deeply flawed.”
“If you are ever interested in setting aside political gamesmanship and working together with me on a serious initiative to reform the laws that govern illegal immigration and Congressional apportionment, I would welcome your support,” she wrote.
No one has addressed the larger issue, however – some Democrats like the idea and the best argument opponents have against it is that the 2010 forms are already a done deal. Expect a potential 2020 change to be a discussion topic when Congress finally tackles immigration.
