US civil rights groups urge census participation before deadline

Marginalised communities across the United States risk losing access to services if they are not accurately counted on the US Census, Human Rights Watch warned on Thursday, as a deadline to complete the population survey loomed. The US Supreme Court on Tuesday put on hold a lower court ruling that had ordered the population count be continued until October 31. Field data collection ends on Thursday, but people have until 5:59am ET (9:59 GMT) Friday to complete the survey online, the US Census Bureau says on its website. The top court’s decision came after US President Donald Trump’s administration argued that the census bureau needed the data as soon as possible. But civil rights groups for months have raised concerns about the census, accusing the Trump administration of seeking to politicise the process and curb the participation of racial minorities for political gain. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">