August 8, 2025 | 04:29 pm
President of the United States Donald Trump on Thursday instructed the Department of Commerce to begin compiling a new census based on "modern-day facts and figures" that would exclude undocumented immigrants from the count.
"And importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024," said the Republican President on his Truth Social platform, as reported by Sputnik and cited by Antara.
"People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS," he said.
The U.S. Constitution mandates a census every 10 years. The last census, conducted during Trump's first term, recorded the U.S. population at 331 million, a 7% increase from a decade earlier.
However, as reported by NBC News, experts say it is unclear what Trump is actually asking for, whether it is a change to the 2030 census or a mid-decade census. If it is the latter, it is uncertain if it would be used for mid-decade apportionment, which is the process of dividing congressional seats among states based on population figures.
Trump's order comes amid his administration's efforts to redraw legislative district boundaries to favor the Republican Party ahead of next year's preliminary elections.
Last Sunday, dozens of Democratic lawmakers from Texas left the state in a boycott to thwart the Republican Party's plan to change the district maps. Texas Governor Greg Abbott then instructed the Department of Public Safety to track down, arrest, and return the Democratic lawmakers to the state House of Representatives.
Can Trump Change the Census?
According to experts, conducting a mid-decade census would be very difficult, if not impossible. Any changes to the implementation of the U.S. census would require amendments to the Census Act and approval from the U.S. Congress, which has oversight responsibility. This process would likely lead to intense political battles.
Federal laws governing the census allow for a mid-decade headcount for purposes such as distributing federal funds, but it cannot be used for district apportionment or redistricting and must be done in years ending in the number 5.
Additionally, the 14th Amendment states that "the whole number of persons in each state" must be counted for apportionment figures, and the Census Bureau has interpreted this to include anyone living in the United States regardless of their legal status.
Federal courts have repeatedly supported this interpretation, although the U.S. Supreme Court has recently blocked efforts to change it on procedural rather than legal grounds.
"He cannot unilaterally order a new census. The census is governed by law, not to mention the Constitution," said Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former congressional staff member who now consults on census issues.
In addition to the legal challenges, there are also logistical hurdles. The decennial census is the largest non-military effort undertaken by the federal government, relying on a temporary workforce of hundreds of thousands of census takers. Planning for such a massive operation can take up to 10 years.
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