Hidalgo County will be sending a letter to the Census director of Texas in an effort to get an adjustment on the population number, which they believe was considerably undercounted in the 2020 U.S Census.
County Executive Officer Valde Guerra presented the agenda item to the county commission Tuesday during its regular meeting seeking approval for the county to send a letter to Census Director Robert Santos in the hopes of adjusting the census data for federal funding purposes.
It was unanimously approved.
After the meeting, Guerra explained that the item would allow Hidalgo County Attorney Rolando Rios to pen the letter to Santos asking him to look at the 2020 Census data and the process of acquiring that data in the midst of the pandemic and other catastrophes that may have hindered the accuracy of the count.
“What we’re hoping is that the Census director will look at the process that was undertaken during the time that it was taken and the challenges that were faced by the individuals tasked with getting the count out there,” Guerra said. “I’ll be working with Rolando Rios, our attorney, for that letter.”
Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said the court believes that the county was “materially” undercounted.
“That was the decision of the court today, to go ahead and send a letter to the new director of the Census Bureau and see if we can get some action,” Cortez said. “Obviously, this undercounting means millions of dollars for us, but we’re always at their mercy because there’s not really anything we can do, unfortunately.”
This latest move by the county follows attempts made by Rio Grande Valley leaders to extend the Census deadline last year following a lower than average response which many have attributed to the pandemic.
The 2020 Census recorded a population of 870,781 for Hidalgo County. In 2010, the county’s population was recorded as 774,769.
