2020 Census

Anyone who doesn't answer the controversial citizenship question would still be included in the upcoming U.S. headcount — and may get a phone call or follow-up visit, the Census Bureau's head says.

The city of San Jose, Calif., plus individuals from Maryland and Arizona, are suing to remove the controversial question. Some two dozen other cities and states are suing separately.

Officials from the Census Bureau and Commerce Department are set to testify in May about 2020 census which will ask if respondents are citizens, a question which has sparked lawsuits.

Four Democrats on the Senate oversight committee for the Census Bureau say they're worried the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census is "tainted by improper political considerations."

The Census Bureau's announcement about its race and ethnicity questions disappoints advocates who for years have been pushing for a check box for people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa.

Census experts say the announcement about the 2020 national headcount suggests the Trump administration will not approve Obama-era proposals to change how the government asks about race and ethnicity.

The Justice Department has asked the Census Bureau to reinstate a question about citizenship on the census. But some say that kind of question could jeopardize the headcount's accuracy.

The White House was expected to announce Friday its decision on Obama-era proposals to change how the government collects race and ethnicity information. The delay could impact the 2020 census.

White people in the U.S. may be asked to check off boxes about their ethnic background if the White House approves a proposal to change how the government collects race and ethnicity data.