US President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Commerce to initiate a new census that omits undocumented immigrants, signaling a renewed effort to reshape electoral maps to benefit Republicans and diminish the political influence of Democratic-leaning voters.
In a Truth Social post, Trump announced that “people who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS,” emphasizing that the revised census must be “highly accurate” and utilize data from the 2024 presidential election.
The U.S. Constitution requires a national census every decade to count all residents, determining congressional representation and the distribution of federal funds. The 14th Amendment mandates counting the “whole number of persons in each State.” Excluding undocumented immigrants could impact the allocation of House seats in states like California, Texas, and Florida—where roughly 42% of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. reside, per the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump’s directive follows increasing demands from Republicans to redraw congressional districts. In Texas, Democrats have left for other states to obstruct a GOP-supported redistricting plan that could secure Republicans five additional seats. In a recent interview, Trump claimed success in Texas and condemned what he described as gerrymandering in states like California.
Excluding undocumented immigrants from the census is not a novel concept for Trump. During his first term, he sought to include a citizenship question and issued a memo to exclude undocumented individuals from the apportionment count. Both initiatives were stalled or blocked by the courts.
Upon taking office, former US President Joe Biden overturned those orders, reaffirming that all residents—regardless of immigration status—should be included in the count. Trump has now reversed that policy upon his return to the White House in January.
Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers have introduced bills to count only U.S. citizens for House apportionment. A legal challenge brought by four GOP state attorneys in January was paused in March, as Trump administration lawyers requested additional time to assess their strategy.
If enacted, this exclusion could significantly alter political representation and funding, shifting resources away from diverse, immigrant-heavy states—fueling intense debates over fairness, legality, and the future of American democracy.
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