Trump administration proposes excluding some noncitizens from US census

September 10, 2026 at 05:33 AM1 min

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The Trump administration proposed excluding certain noncitizens from the US census count used to allocate House seats. The Department of Commerce released the proposal on Wednesday, limiting the count to citizens and lawful permanent residents. The change would depart from the 1790 Census Act, which counted all inhabitants regardless of citizenship.

Key Facts

The proposal would exclude undocumented immigrants and temporary legal residents from the census count.
The census determines allocation of House seats and government resources.
The proposal also suggests removing certain race and ethnicity questions from the questionnaire.
The 1790 Census Act required counting all inhabitants regardless of citizenship status.
The proposal would cross-reference citizenship responses with Department of Homeland Security and Treasury records.

Census Overhaul

The Department of Commerce released the proposal on Wednesday. Under the proposal, US citizens and lawful permanent residents would be counted in the census. Foreign nationals with temporary legal status and undocumented immigrants would be excluded. The proposal argues that such individuals are not 'true inhabitants' and lack sufficient 'tie and allegiance' to the US.

Questionnaire Changes

The proposal suggests eliminating certain questions on race and ethnicity, citing 'substantial doubts about the meaning, significance, and impact' of such categories. It argues that limiting questions would boost participation in the census, which is mandated every 10 years. The proposal also seeks to verify citizenship status by cross-referencing responses with Department of Homeland Security and Treasury records. It would add questions about legal immigration status to the short-form questionnaire.

Historical Precedent

The change would depart from the 1790 Census Act, which instructed counting anyone with a 'usual place of abode' in the US regardless of citizenship. The census proposal is one of several Trump administration initiatives that could reshape electoral power, alongside congressional redistricting and mail-in ballot restrictions.