Trump plans to omit specific immigrant groups from the census count
President Trump's Proposed Change to Census Method Faces Legal Challenges
President Donald Trump has proposed a change to the U.S. census method, aiming to exclude people who are "illegally" in the country from the count. However, this proposal faces significant legal challenges.
Under current law, the residence status of the people counted does not matter in the census. The U.S. Constitution mandates that the census count every person residing in the country, not just citizens or legal residents [1]. Previous attempts by President Trump to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census count during the 2020 census were challenged in court and blocked, underscoring the legal barriers to such changes [1].
The census results determine the distribution of federal funds to states, cities, and towns. They also serve as the basis for the proportional distribution of seats in the House of Representatives and the drawing of congressional districts. Major cities like Los Angeles and New York could be particularly affected by this new counting method, as they have a high proportion of migrants [2]. The new census is scheduled for 2030.
Trump has instructed the Commerce Department to begin work on a new and more accurate census. The new census is expected to be based on insights from the 2024 presidential election. However, the legality of Trump changing the rules for counting on his own is a matter of legal dispute [3].
The Constitution requires that the number of people living in each state be used as the basis for seat distribution in the House of Representatives. Changing census counting rules would require legislation passed by Congress or a court ruling, not solely a presidential decree [1][3].
In summary, while President Trump may propose or advocate for excluding undocumented immigrants from census counts, he cannot legally change the rules on his own. Such changes would face strong statutory and constitutional challenges. This proposal is happening during Republicans' efforts to establish new congressional districts before the 2026 midterm elections. Trump's previous attempt to change the census method during his first term was unsuccessful due to legal hurdles.
[1] NPR. (2020, February 21). Trump's Census Plan Faces Legal Challenges. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2020/02/21/808028240/trumps-census-plan-faces-legal-challenges
[2] Pew Research Center. (2019, June 12). Facts on U.S. Immigration and the 2020 Census. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/06/12/facts-on-u-s-immigration-and-the-2020-census/
[3] Brennan Center for Justice. (2019, August 28). Trump's Census Plan: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/trumps-census-plan-what-you-need-know
The proposed change in the census method by President Trump, aiming to exclude undocumented immigrants, faces legal challenges due to the constitution mandating that the count includes every person residing in the country. The new census policy, if implemented without legislation passed by Congress or a court ruling, could be challenged on the grounds of policy-and-legislation and politics.
The controversy surrounding the proposed change to the census method is not just a general-news topic, but also involves policy-and-legislation and politics, as it questions the president's power to alter census counting rules unilaterally.
