Trump's call for census that excludes 'illegal' immigrants divides Internet: 'Finally get fair elections'

WASHINGTON DC: President Donald Trump has triggered a wave of online reaction after announcing plans for a new US Census that would exclude undocumented immigrants.

The proposal, if implemented, could drastically shift how congressional seats and federal funds are distributed across states.

 Trump says undocumented immigrants will be excluded in new 'highly accurate' census

Trump revealed the move in a Truth Social post, stating that he had already instructed the Commerce Department to get started on what he called a “highly accurate” census.

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS,” he added.

Texas political fight and past Supreme Court rulings add tension to Trump’s plan

The US Constitution requires a census every 10 years to apportion congressional seats, with the 14th Amendment specifying that all persons residing in each state must be counted, regardless of citizenship status.

The announcement comes as Texas Republicans attempt to redraw the state’s electoral maps.

Texas Democrats left the state last week in protest of the redistricting bill, which could add up to five new conservative-held congressional seats.

During Trump’s first term, the US Supreme Court blocked an attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

The court also declined to decide whether a president can exclude undocumented immigrants from apportionment, a legal issue that may again come to the forefront.

Social media divided over Trump’s proposal as some call it unconstitutional

Online reactions to Trump’s announcement were sharply divided. Critics questioned the legality of excluding undocumented immigrants from the census.

“Then it’s not a census,” one person wrote on X. Another added, “So Texas loses a lot of seats.”

One user pointed to the Constitution: “The census and the counting of all persons in the US is spelled out in the constitution. No president can just change that.”

Another simply stated, “That’s useless.” One more user wrote, “Sorry, but that is against the constitution.”

Others believed the move was politically motivated. “This is so he can steal seats from Democrats because they can't win the midterms any other way,” one person said.

Another warned, “This isn’t about the census, it’s about control. They want to redraw power by making people disappear.”

Supporters saw the proposal as long overdue. “As it should be. Wild that it took a Republican to do it,” one user wrote.

Another praised the idea, stating, “That's an excellent idea. It will tell us a lot about who our local government is actually representing.”

One person claimed, “We will finally get fair elections. Dems will flip out since cheating is their only strategy.”

Another wrote, “Democrat theft of our government is over.”

“If you think the left lost their s**t over Texas, wait until they see this: BPR: Trump Orders New Census in Election Power Grab. Illegals will be removed from census count, giving the Republicans the majority FOREVER,” one person posted.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.