President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Commerce to create a new U.S. Census to exclude undocumented immigrants from the population count. The president announced the move on his Truth Social account Thursday morning.
"I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024," Trump said. "People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
The census is a count of people living in the United States, conducted every decade as required by the Constitution. The data has also historically included noncitizens, which Trump is looking to exclude.
A change in census data could shift congressional representation among states, as well as the number of electoral votes each receives.
In 2030, Florida is expected to gain as many as four congressional seats, along with Texas. It also projects Arizona, Utah, and Idaho gaining one each.
California and New York are projected to lose three and two seats, respectively. It also shows Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island each dropping a seat.
Trump's order also comes as Texas Republican and Democratic lawmakers battle over the state’s congressional map.
Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller praised Trump's order on social media. Ironically, Illinois is where Texas Democrats fled to oppose their state's redistricting, prompting the Texas House to issue civil arrest warrants to the insubordinates.
"Counting illegal aliens in the Census robs American citizens of representation and resources," Miller said. "Thank you, President Trump, for putting an end to this insanity!! It's simply common sense."
Conservative advocates also celebrated Trump's call on social media, including Charlie Kirk, Dinesh D'Souza, Katie Pavlich, John Rich, and DC Draino.
