Say what? The National Coalition of Latino Clergy is mounting drives to boycott the census in order to pressure Congress for immigration reform.

From the AJC:

While government officials blanket the area to encourage participation in the 2010 Census, some Hispanic groups are at odds as to whether to stand up and be counted.

The Rev. Antonio Mansogo, president of the Confraternity of Pastors and Ministers of Atlanta, . . . said the National Coalition of Latino Clergy is mounting drives to boycott the census in order to pressure Congress for immigration reform.

Mansogo, pastor of the Ministerio Pentecostal Central de Atlanta in Norcross, said the drive is gaining ground in Gwinnett County, which has the largest Hispanic population in Georgia [I know this has to be in total number, not percentage; the figures for Gwinnett: 17.5%; 789,500]. Based on his community contacts and lukewarm turnout for census forums, he said he is convinced 75 percent of the undocumented Latino community will not participate.

But Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, blasted the boycott, saying it will drive an already under-represented group further into the shadows.

Under-reporting could spell trouble for local governments because, as the true Hispanic population rises, the county cannot keep up with its needs, said Tanikia Jackson, grants manager for Gwinnett County. Census numbers are a major component of the federal grant funding formula, she said.