The Trump administration has proposed altering the national census to count only U.S. citizens and permanent residents, a move that could substantially impact how political representation and federal funding are allocated to states. The U.S. Census Bureau submitted the proposed rule changes on Wednesday, following an order from President Trump over a year ago to craft a new census that would exclude immigrants residing in the U.S. without legal status.
The next full census is scheduled for 2030. The proposed changes would extend to excluding individuals on temporary lawful stays and remove questions about race or ethnicity, which have been part of the census since its inception in 1790.
Demography experts and civil rights advocates have expressed concerns that these modifications could distort data used for establishing congressional and state legislative districts, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and distributing federal funds for public services. Meeta Anand, senior director of the census and data equity program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, stated that the effort could have "earth-shattering" consequences, potentially leading to insufficient federal aid and political representation for cities and states with large immigrant populations. Anand emphasized that flawed data could lead to inaccurate national representations and influence critical decisions in business, investment, and politics.
President Trump has previously voiced opposition to counting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally in the census, which determines each state's representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and its state legislative districts. An earlier attempt by the Trump administration to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment mandates that political representatives be apportioned based on "the whole number of persons in each State." This administration's proposal to exclude undocumented and temporary immigrants from the census occurs amidst broader immigration enforcement actions. The Department of Justice had previously warned that states might lose billions in welfare funding if they do not report all individuals known to be in the country illegally.
The proposal is currently open for a 30-day public comment period. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.