US President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Commerce to begin preparations for a new census that excludes undocumented immigrants, signaling a renewed effort to reshape electoral maps in favor of Republicans and diminish the political influence of Democratic-leaning populations.
Announcing the decision on his platform Truth Social, Trump stated: “People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS,” emphasizing that the updated census should be “highly accurate” and rely on data from the 2024 presidential election.
The US Constitution requires a national census every ten years to count all residents, which determines congressional representation and federal funding allocation. The 14th Amendment specifically mandates counting the “whole number of persons in each State.” Excluding undocumented immigrants could drastically affect House seat allocations in states like California, Texas, and Florida, which together host around 42% of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump’s move comes amid heightened Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts. In Texas, Democrats have fled the state to block a GOP-led redistricting plan that could grant Republicans five additional seats. Trump recently claimed victory in Texas while criticizing what he called gerrymandering practices in states such as California.
This is not Trump’s first attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from census counts. During his first term, he sought to add a citizenship question to the census and issued directives to exclude undocumented individuals from population counts used for apportionment—both efforts were stalled or blocked by the courts.
Upon assuming office, former President Joe Biden reversed these policies, affirming that all residents, regardless of immigration status, should be counted. After returning to the White House in January, Trump has now reinstated the exclusion policy.
Simultaneously, some Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation to count only US citizens for apportionment purposes. A legal challenge initiated by four GOP state attorneys in January was paused in March, as Trump administration lawyers requested additional time to refine their strategy.
If enforced, excluding undocumented immigrants from the census could substantially shift political representation and federal funding away from diverse, immigrant-rich states—intensifying ongoing debates over fairness, legality, and the future of American democracy.
