On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Justice began evaluating a controversial issue: whether the Trump administration can add to the 2020 census form a question about the status of people's citizenship. Miami-Dade County officials expect the court to reject this claim.

The county leaders are right to be concerned, because the financial health of our community is at stake.

The question of citizenship on the census form can have the effect of stealing valuable funds from us. In order to obtain the adequate financing that Miami-Dade deserves, each resident must be told a sometimes delicate proposal in the communities that have many immigrants and refugees.

Already Census Bureau officials have said that including the citizenship question could scare off 5.8 percent of households that include someone who is not a citizen.

The number is probably greater in communities like ours, and especially in these times of turbulence generated by migration policies.

For our own good, we hope that the magistrates will agree with the three lower courts that have failed to add such a question, which would undoubtedly result in many immigrants not filling out the forms.

Miami-Dade leaders are sending a strong message urging residents not to let fear of a government survey prevent them from participating in the 2020 census.

"One of the messages that we will be promoting during the next year and a half is the importance of being counted," said Miami-Dade commissioner Esteban "Steve" Bovo Jr., president of a county special group that promotes participation in the census. "If you care about traffic, if you care about health, education. If you are worried about housing, it is important that we communicate with each segment of our population and allow them to be counted. "

In general terms: the more people we have, the more money we will receive. But you have to tell all the residents.