President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Commerce to begin work on a new US census that excludes undocumented immigrants from the population count. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the census should be “based on modern-day facts and figures” and utilize results from the 2024 presidential election. This proposal marks a significant departure from longstanding census practices, which have historically counted all residents regardless of immigration status.
The Constitution mandates a national census every ten years to determine congressional representation. However, Trump’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants raises questions about the accuracy and fairness of the census. According to Jeffrey Wice, a professor at New York Law School, Trump cannot unilaterally order a new census for reapportionment purposes. While Congress could theoretically authorize a new census, it would set up a major legal fight and pose significant practical challenges.
The census determines the number of congressional seats allocated to each state. Excluding undocumented immigrants could shift the balance of power in states and the House of Representatives. Projections suggest that up to a dozen House seats could shift from Democratic or politically marginal states to Republican ones next decade due to population changes. This has sparked debate among politicians and experts, with some arguing that the census should focus on accurate representation rather than political gain.
Trump’s proposal has been met with criticism from experts and politicians. Wice described Trump’s plan as “typical” of his impulsive decision-making style, saying it’s “not practical or logical” to base a census on presidential election results. The Census Bureau experts, Wice added, “don’t need Trump’s advice” on using modern-day facts and figures. This is not the first time Trump has attempted to change the census; during his first term, he tried to insert a citizenship question into the survey, which was blocked by the Supreme Court.
The controversy surrounding Trump’s census plan highlights the ongoing debate about immigration and representation in the US. Other Republicans, such as Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have also called for changes to the census. DeSantis claimed that Florida should have received more congressional seats in 2020 and suggested that the state should be awarded additional seats in the future. Trump’s move has sparked concerns about the politicization of government reports and the potential impact on communities nationwide
