Executive Order to Exclude Millions From the Census Gets It Wrong; All People Must Be Counted

WASHINGTON—President Trump issued an executive order today to prevent undocumented immigrants from being counted as part of the 2020 Census. This policy would unlawfully exclude 10.7 million undocumented immigrants, despite the clear requirement of the 14th Amendment to count “the whole number of persons in each state.” As a result, states with high numbers of undocumented immigrants will be underrepresented in Congress and receive fewer federal resources. 

The following statement is from Beth Werlin, executive director of the American Immigration Council:

“Today’s executive order once again reveals how President Trump is willing to undermine American democracy to continue his all-out war on immigrants. With nearly 150,000 Americans dead from the COVID-19 pandemic and record levels of unemployment, the president is seeking to distract and divide us, this time by politicizing the census.

“The census is a critical tool that helps us provide the resources necessary to build stronger communities and a better future for all Americans. These resources are especially critical during a time of a worldwide pandemic, and the president’s attempt to undercount people may mean that we lack resources to respond to crises when needed. The Supreme Court roundly rejected the president’s attempt to intimidate immigrants from being counted by adding a citizenship question to the census, and with this new order he is yet again trying to manipulate this year’s count.

“We must not allow this order to strip the rights of representation to those who live in communities with immigrants. We must count all the hundreds of thousands of people who live and work in the United States and contribute to our communities, pay their taxes, and participate in community life.“

Related resources from the American Immigration Council:

• Fact Sheets: State-specific immigration data
• Fact Sheet: Immigrants in the United States

For more information, contact:

Royce Murray at the American Immigration Council, [email protected] or 202-507-7510.