The current uncertainty is unprecedented.

I still find it very difficult to assimilate the magnitude of the global humanitarian emergency that we are experiencing, which unfortunately I believe will also be accompanied by an economic crisis since thousands of businesses have had to close their doors and many people will lose their jobs.

That’s why now more than ever it’s very important to participate in the 2020 Census.

Let me tell you why.

We all need to do our part and provide our city with a correct number count of the people who live in it. This data is very important since the purpose of the census is not only to know population numbers but also to know where the resources that the federal government assigns to each county should be distributed for the next ten years. And that decision depends on this number.

This means that all the benefits that we will receive as a community up to the year 2030 will be based on the total number of people counted in the 2020 Census.

The number of parks, schools, highways, hospitals, fire stations, police stations, among other public services in our county depend on the information gathered from the 2020 Census data.

That's why today I share these three key messages with you:

1. Get involved! Now it’s easier than ever before to fill out the census as the questionnaire can be answered online in just a few minutes. How? You will receive a letter in the mail with an identification number which you must enter on the my2020census.gov website. There you will be able to answer all the questions in more than 10 languages. You can also fill it out by mail or by phone if you prefer.

2. The process is safe and confidential. By law, the information you provide cannot be shared with any other government agencies or used to impact your immigration status.

3. Census questions are very easy to answer and do not include questions about your immigration status. So no matter what your status is, you can feel safe that it'll not be asked.

Today more than ever it’s very important to secure our future and that of our children.

Click here to participate:

* In Partnership with Houston and Harris County, however all opinions are my own.