Trump proposals a fresh U.S. census, aiming to disregard individuals residing in the country unlawfully, marking a break from past practices.
President Trump has announced a plan for the 2030 census that aims to exclude undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. without legal status from the population count[1][2][3]. This proposal, if implemented, would mark a significant departure from longstanding practice, as previous censuses have counted all residents regardless of legal status.
The motivation behind this proposal is primarily political: excluding undocumented immigrants is expected to shift political power and congressional seat allocation from Democrat-leaning states with larger undocumented populations (such as Texas and California) to Republican-leaning states. This could also affect Electoral College votes and federal funding, which are based on census counts[1][3].
However, the plan faces several challenges. It is unclear whether Trump is referring to the regularly scheduled national head count in 2030 or an earlier tally. The American Civil Liberties Union has signaled another legal battle may be on the horizon if the Trump administration attempts to exclude U.S. residents without legal status from a census[4].
The U.S. Constitution mandates an "actual enumeration" of all persons residing in the country every 10 years, and Congress codified the inclusion of all residents by law in 1954. Census planning for 2030 began years before this announcement, and implementing such a drastic change would face significant logistical, administrative, and legal challenges[2].
Research by the Census Bureau shows that using the census to ask about a person's immigration status is likely to produce faulty self-reported data. Furthermore, asking the question "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" would discourage many households with Latino or Asian American residents from getting counted[5].
The proposed census would exclude millions of people living in the country without legal status, potentially altering who is counted in the census to influence political representation, a pattern of political conflict over census questions that affect reapportionment and redistricting[1][2][3].
Meanwhile, the Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, has been instructed to "immediately begin work" on a census using "the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024." However, it is important to note that Article 1 of the Constitution empowers Congress, not the president, to carry out the "actual enumeration" of the country's population[6].
In conclusion, Trump's proposed census exclusion plan contrasts with constitutional and legal tradition and could face significant logistical, administrative, and legal challenges. The proposal, if implemented, could potentially alter political representation and federal funding distribution, but it remains to be seen how this plan will unfold in the coming years.
References:
- NPR
- CNN
- The Washington Post
- The New York Times
- The Hill
- The Hill
- The proposed change in the 2030 census, which aims to exclude undocumented immigrants, could potentially affect the distribution of federal funds, as these are based on census counts.
- The political motivation behind the proposal to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2030 census is expected to impact Electoral College votes and congressional seat allocation, as it could shift power from Democrat-leaning states to Republican-leaning states.
- The implementation of the proposed census exclusion plan, if successful, could alter who is counted in the census, impacting political representation and potentially violating the U.S. Constitution, which mandates an "actual enumeration" of all persons residing in the country.
