HispanicBusiness

Hispanic groups on Wednesday put pressure on the Obama administration to make good on a promise to reform immigration laws, saying it is necessary to ensure a more accurate count in the 2010 Census.

Specifically, groups such as The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and Univision Inc. are asking the administration to halt raids on illegal immigrants, the Associated Press reports.

This, the groups say, would help ensure that newly emigrated Hispanic families feel more inclined to cooperate with Census workers.

The Census estimates that 3 percent of all Hispanics – or 1 million altogether -- were missed in the count in 2000. Undercounting can lead to under-funding, as well as under-representation of certain geographical areas on the House side of Congress.

The request to hold off on raids has stirred some controversy.

Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a press conference to express their opposition to the notion of freezing efforts to enforce border laws, AP reported.

The U.S. government did halt raids for a time in 2000 to ensure a better count that year. But the Census Bureau's request to do so again two years ago was denied by the Bush administration.

There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country, the majority of them Hispanic. Officially, Hispanics constitute 14 percent of the entire U.S. population.

Other groups calling for reform include the League of United Latin American Citizens and SEIU.