WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to begin preparing for a new U.S. census that woudl exclude individuals residing in the country unlawfully. Trump stated that these individuals “WILL NOT BE COUNTED” in the upcoming enumeration.
The directive aims to change the methodology of how the census collects data, specifically targeting the inclusion of undocumented immigrants. This move is a significant departure from current census practices,which count all residents regardless of their legal status.
The former president’s mandate signals a potential overhaul of the decennial census process. The exact timeline and feasibility of implementing such a change, particularly for the next constitutionally mandated census, remain subjects of discussion and legal scrutiny.
Trump’s management had previously attempted to add a citizenship question to the census, a move that faced legal challenges and was ultimately blocked. This latest directive, however, focuses on the exclusion of a specific group rather than a data collection query.
The implications of such a change could be far-reaching, potentially impacting political representation and the allocation of federal resources across states. The U.S. Constitution mandates that all persons living in the United States be counted in the census.
Critics argue that excluding undocumented immigrants from the census count would violate constitutional mandates and could lead to an inaccurate representation of the U.S.population.They also point to the potential for significant political and economic ramifications.
This directive is part of a broader effort by the former president to implement stricter immigration policies.The administration’s focus on the census reflects a consistent theme of prioritizing the legal status of residents in federal planning and representation.
Ultimately, the directive faced significant legal challenges. In February 2023, the Biden administration formally abandoned the effort to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census count, acknowledging the constitutional concerns and practical difficulties of implementation.The Census Bureau reverted to its longstanding practice of counting all residents,regardless of immigration status,for the 2020 census and subsequent enumerations. The attempt to alter census methodology under the Trump administration concluded without a change to the established process.
