Trump demands new U.S. Census and says non-citizens won't be counted
Trump demanded a new count of American households be taken based on his 2024 election victory.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is calling for a new census of American households to be conducted and for migrants who did not enter the country legally to be excluded from the count.
"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 Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump said on Truth Social.
The United States conducts a census once every decade, as mandated in the U.S. Constitution. The government last counted residents of the United States and its five territories in 2020, when households could respond online for the first time.
The count includes foreign-born residents of the United States, including lawful permanent residents, students, refugees and asylum seekers and people who entered the country without permission.
"The U.S. Census Bureau collects data from all foreign born who participate in its censuses and surveys, regardless of legal status. Thus, unauthorized migrants are implicitly included in the Census Bureau estimates of the total foreign-born population," its website says.
The U.S. Constitution mandates the frequency with which a Census is held and the process is governed by federal law.
“The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct," Article I, Section 2 says.
Title 13 of the U.S. Code requires the Census Bureau to provide Congress with the specific wording of questions at least two years beforehand.
Trump's push for a new census comes as Texas Republicans try to push through redrawn congressional districts that could advantage the GOP in the 2026 midterm elections. After congressional seats were redistributed following the last U.S. Census, the Republican Party won control of the House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold a slim three-seat majority in the chamber.
Neither the U.S. Census Bureau or the Commerce Department responded to requests for comment.
Contributing: Erin Mansfield