The president’s comments come as his administration ramps up efforts to curb illegal immigration to the United States.
President Trump has said illegal immigrants will not be counted in an upcoming census.
In a social media post, the president wrote, “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.”
“People who are in our County illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he continued.
In 2020, during his first term in office, Trump also issued a presidential memorandum instructing the department to exclude illegal aliens from the census.
“My Administration will not support giving congressional representation to aliens who enter or remain in the country unlawfully, because doing so would create perverse incentives and undermine our system of government. Just as we do not give political power to people who are here temporarily, we should not give political power to people who should not be here at all,” the 2020 memorandum said.
Last month, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican of Georgia, introduced a bill that called for a new census that excludes undocumented immigrants and calls for a redistricting process prior to the 2026 midterm elections.
Historically, the census has included all residents in the United States, regardless of immigration status. The survey is conducted every ten years, and congressional maps are redrawn as a result.
Trump’s effort to change the census comes as Republicans are fighting to keep control of the House in Washington.
The next census is scheduled to take place in 2030.
