The U.S. Census Bureau is coming under criticism for preparing reports for the Department of Homeland Security that documented the location and country of origin of Arab Americans living in the United States based on zip code. Forty civic, faith-based and civil liberties groups have issued a joint statement expressing concern that the reports undermine trust in the Census Bureau and unfairly target Arab Americans. The groups cite similar information gathering in the 1940s that led to the internment of Japanese Americans. The Census Bureau has said the information was used only to determine at which US airports signage in Arabic was necessary—officials have not said whether similar information about any other minority populations was obtained.