Trump Orders New Census Excluding Illegal Immigrants

On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced his directive for the administration to initiate a new census that will exclude illegal immigrants from being counted.

With a focus on immigration enforcement, Trump has instructed the Commerce Department to commence a census that omits illegal immigrant populations, utilizing data from the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Some estimates suggest there may be around 18 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States. This figure is part of a larger discussion on immigration’s role in population growth, which is viewed by some experts as primarily driven by both legal and illegal immigration.

“I have instructed our Commerce Department to immediately begin work on a new, highly accurate census based on modern facts and figures,” Trump stated. He emphasized that the census would leverage information obtained from the 2024 presidential election as a foundation.

“People who are illegal in our country are not counted in the census. Thank you for paying attention to this issue,” he added during his announcement.

In March, the United States Federation of Immigration Reform approximated that about 18.6 million illegal immigrants live in the country, noting that the nation’s population growth stems significantly from high levels of immigration. The Census Bureau currently estimates the U.S. population to exceed 342 million.

The Census Bureau conducts population counts every decade, and these numbers significantly influence the political landscape in the U.S., impacting the allocation of House seats and legislative districts.

However, Trump’s push for a census that excludes illegal immigrants might lead to legal challenges. His previous attempt to exclude this group from the 2020 census faced multiple lawsuits. The Census Bureau acknowledged in 2022 that around a quarter of the states had “significantly” inaccurate data.

Members of the Democratic Party have expressed support for including non-citizens in the census, acknowledging the potential benefits for their political interests. For instance, New York Democrat Yvette Clark has publicly stated her desire to see increased immigration to aid her party’s goals related to districting.