The Trump administration has proposed a major overhaul of the 2030 Census that could exclude undocumented immigrants as well as certain immigrants who are legally present in the country from population counts.
On Wednesday, the Census Bureau published a proposed rule online that would redefine a person's "usual residence" for the census count. This would result in the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the population totals used for the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives among states.
The proposal could also exclude immigrants who are legally residing in the U.S. but do not have lawful permanent resident status, going beyond President Donald Trump's 2020 efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from population counts.
The bureau noted that undocumented immigrants should not be considered usual residents due to their insufficient "ties and allegiance" to America. The proposal could also exclude individuals with a legal status "less durable and indefinite" than a green card, depending on the bureau's final definition of qualifying immigration statuses.
In a notable shift, the bureau is also proposing to eliminate "sensitive" questions about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation from the short-form census form and other population count questionnaires.
The bureau is still deliberating on how to make these determinations, potentially using government records from agencies such as the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Treasury, and State.
James Plans to Challenge Census Plan
The proposed 2030 census changes could have major political implications by affecting House seat apportionment, redistricting, federal funding and enforcement of civil rights laws. The proposal could also fundamentally alter the long-standing practice of counting all residents, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
New York Attorney General Letitia James criticized the proposed census change, arguing that the "Constitution is clear" and requires everyone living in the U.S., regardless of immigration status, to be counted. She said her office is exploring legal action to challenge the policy.
The Constitution is clear. Every person living in the United States, regardless of immigration status, must be counted in the census.
We stopped the Trump administration's census attacks in 2020, and we're exploring our legal options to fight back again.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) September 9, 2026
Trump's Immigration Crackdown Expands
The proposed changes to the census come in the wake of a series of immigration-related moves by the Trump administration. In July, the administration considered a $100,000 bond for green card applications as part of an initiative to ensure immigrants are "financially self-sufficient" and "contribute to our society more than they take from it."
Earlier this month, the State Department proposed a rule that could make it mandatory for parents to provide proof of their own citizenship or immigration status when applying for their children's passports.
Moody's chief economist Mark Zandi said Trump's immigration policies and other supply-side shocks are contributing to rising unemployment, slower economic growth and persistent inflation. He expects immigration policy to eventually change but warned of near-term stagflation, where prices rise without a corresponding increase in output.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.
