Trump Seeks Census Excluding Undocumented Immigrants

President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Commerce to initiate a new census that would exclude undocumented immigrants from the population count, with indications that the effort may use data from the 2024 presidential election. The proposal is seen as an attempt to reshape congressional representation and federal funding, potentially costing states with large undocumented populations, like Texas and Florida, seats in Congress and billions in resources. Critics, including legal analysts and advocacy groups, argue the move is unconstitutional since the Constitution requires the census to count all persons, and any such change would need congressional approval. Previous efforts by Trump to alter census methodology were blocked by the courts, and experts predict this new plan will face similar legal challenges. The initiative has sparked heated political debate, with Democrats and civil rights groups denouncing it as a partisan attempt to influence redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms. There is uncertainty whether this proposal targets a mid-decade census or changes for the 2030 count, but it has intensified national discussions on representation and the rule of law.