Trump Pushes Citizenship-Based Census, Faces Legal Hurdles

Former President Donald Trump, along with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, is backing legislation to exclude non-citizens from the U.S. Census count, aiming to conduct a new citizenship-based census and redistricting before the 2026 midterm elections. This proposal challenges the constitutional mandate that all persons be counted every ten years, with proponents arguing it would lead to fairer representation and reduce Democratic-leaning states' influence. Critics emphasize that such a move would break with longstanding legal precedent and could shift federal resources and congressional seats. The Trump administration previously tried to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, but the effort was blocked by the Supreme Court and later reversed by the Biden administration. Analysts suggest that while excluding non-citizens might shift representation toward red states, recent studies indicate the immediate effect may be minimal. The proposal faces significant legal hurdles and is expected to fuel ongoing partisan disputes over immigration and electoral fairness.