Trump intends to omit select immigrant groups from the national census count
The proposed plan by US President Donald Trump to exclude migrants without regular residence status from future censuses has raised questions about the president's authority to change the rules for counting on their own. The Constitution and federal law limit such authority, and the 14th Amendment mandates counting every person residing in a state, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
The current law, which directs a census to be conducted every 10 years in years ending in zero, has been the established precedent for decades. Any changes to the frequency or method would require changes in federal law by Congress. President Trump's recent calls to exclude illegal immigrants from the census and to conduct a new census using election results lack legal basis and conflict with constitutional and legislative requirements.
The results of the census serve as the basis for the distribution of federal funds to states, cities, and communities, as well as the proportional distribution of seats in the House of Representatives and the drawing of congressional district boundaries. The potential impact of excluding noncitizens could be significant, particularly in urban areas with a high proportion of migrants without regular residence status.
Excluding noncitizens would also have far-reaching legal and political implications, such as reducing the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives and federal funding to states with larger immigrant populations, raising constitutional and civil rights concerns.
It is important to note that only Congress has the authority to change census rules or timing. A president attempting to do so risks legal challenges and is unlikely to succeed without legislative support. The legal framework, concrete implementation, and timeline for Trump's new census remain unclear.
Trump has instructed the Commerce Department to begin work on a new census based on findings from the 2024 presidential election, but the announcement was made on his platform Truth Social. The potential impact of this decision could shift political power distribution in the US, as regions with a high proportion of such migrants could lose influence and funding.
Sources:
- NPR
- Brookings Institution
- CNN
- USA Today
The proposed changes to the US census policy-and-legislation by President Trump, involving excluding migrants without regular residence status, face challenges in light of legal requirements and congressional authority. Given the constitutional and legislative mandate to count every person residing in a state, changes to the census method could have significant impacts on the distribution of federal funds, House seats, and congressional district boundaries. (general-news)
Ignoring noncitizens in the census has far-reaching legal and political implications, including potential reductions in the allocation of House seats and federal funding to states with larger immigrant populations, as well as raising constitutional and civil rights concerns. (policy-and-legislation)
