Trump Administration Proposes Census Overhaul to Exclude Undocumented Immigrants from House Apportionment
The Trump administration has proposed a significant overhaul to the U.S. census, aiming to exclude undocumented and temporary immigrants from the data used to apportion House seats after the 2030 census. This proposal, set to be published in the Federal Register, continues an effort from President Trump's first term. The rule argues that the Constitution's requirement to count the 'whole number of persons' in each state does not necessitate including 'illegal aliens' as they are not considered 'true inhabitants' or 'members of the body politic.' The proposal also contemplates adding a citizenship question to the census questionnaire, a move that sparked a major court battle during President Trump's first term. Additionally, the administration seeks to reduce the demographic information collected about Americans' race and ethnicity, data frequently used to prove racial discrimination in redistricting and for other federal government uses.
