Census Director Quits After Being Slammed For Rushing Immigrant Counting

The director of the Census Bureau is resigning from his position after calls for him to step down.

Steven Dillingham allegedly pressured his employees to rush a report on undocumented immigrants counted in a report.

“Effective January 20, 2021, I will be retiring from my position as director of the U.S. Census Bureau,” Dillingham said in a letter.  “I have a smile on my face and gratitude in my heart for all you have done for our Nation.”

Trump-appointed Dillingham in 2019 and his term was supposed to finish at the end of this year.

An inspector general outed Dillingham in a memo that said the immigrant report would be “statistically indefensible” and could be “misinterpreted, misused, or otherwise tarnish the Bureau’s reputation” if it came out after he rushed them.

Dillingham said in his letter that Joe Biden “understands the important role of statistical agencies and I am confident that he will select talented leadership for the Census Bureau, as evidenced by the strong and experienced leadership team he supports for the Department of Commerce.”

BREAKING: Trump's Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham is stepping down on Jan. 20, months before the end of his term, after whistleblowers complained he was pushing for "statistically indefensible" data.

My report (confirming @Tierney_Megan scoop):https://t.co/lEbwWPTNsX

— Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) (@hansilowang) January 18, 2021