Today, the Trump Administration launched another attack on immigrants by issuing an executive order that excludes immigrants from being counted in the 2020 U.S. Census. The order comes as the Census is well underway and started on April 1, 2020. The U.S. Constitution mandates that all people living in the United States be counted every 10 years to determine federal funding for all 50 states, territories, and Congressional redistricting. The Constitution requires all people are counted, regardless of immigration status. The U.S. Supreme Court already ruled against the Trump Administration last year in its demand to add a citizenship question on the 2020 Census.
“Today’s actions show that the Trump Administration does not care what the Supreme Court has already ruled and this action to erase immigrants from the 2020 Census is unconstitutional. Moreover, as the Census is currently underway, Trump’s actions will have a chilling effect on participation by immigrant communities resulting in a serious undercount, which harms all communities,” said Losmin Jiménez Immigrant Justice Project Director at Advancement Project National Office. “Given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and its devastating impact on communities of color and the four years of attacks on immigrants by the Trump Administration we must stand together against this unlawful threat to communities of color.”