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Former President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has directed his administration to begin work on a new US Census that excludes undocumented immigrants from the national population count.

“People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. It remains unclear whether the change would be targeted for the next official census in 2030 or for a separate count conducted earlier.

Constitutional and Legal Hurdles

The proposal would directly conflict with constitutional language requiring the government to count “the whole number of persons in each State.”

Typically control over the census rests with Congress, not the president.

During his first term, Trump attempted to add a citizenship question to the census, but the Supreme Court blocked the effort, citing concerns about accuracy. Research showed such a question would likely cause undercounts, particularly among Latino communities.

The Court has never issued a definitive ruling on whether undocumented immigrants can be excluded entirely from the census. In 2020, the justices declined to decide the question.

Why the US Census Matters

The census is far more than a headcount. It determines how many seats each state has in the House of Representatives and influences the number of Electoral College votes per state.

It also informs the distribution of trillions in federal funds for schools, transportation, public safety, and healthcare. “The census is the foundation of how our democracy allocates power and resources,” said one legal analyst.

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Potential Impact of Excluding Undocumented from US Census

The Department of Homeland Security estimates about 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S., roughly 3% of the population. Removing them from census counts could shift House seats and Electoral College votes away from states with large immigrant populations like California, Texas, and Florida.

Republicans argue that people who are not here legally do not get to vote and are not guaranteed the rights of a US Citizen.

Democrats who are benefitting with more Congressional seats claim that citizenship does not matter.

California, for example, has 2.6 million undocumented residents. Under Trump’s plan, the state could lose multiple congressional seats and billions in federal funding.

Political Context and Next Steps

Trump’s announcement comes as Republicans and Democrats clash over redistricting battles.