Trump signs executive order to exclude 'illegals' from 2020 census
The census is intended to update the number of seats each state will get in the House of Representatives.
By DANIEL NISINMANUS President Donald Trump speaks to attendees with a sheet of bullet proof glass and the Washington Monument in the background as he hosts a 4th of July "2020 Salute to America" to celebrate the US Independence Day holiday at the White House in Washington, US, July 4, 2020.(photo credit: CARLOS BARRIA / REUTERS)
In what was labelled as yet another anti-immigration move, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning illegal immigrants from participating in the 2020 census, according to The Washington Times. The census is intended to update the number of seats each state will get in the House of Representatives. In addition, the information obtained from the census will be used to determine matters such as funds and resources allocation to local communities.So far, some 90 million households have been surveyed.The president which Americans are included in the census each time one is taken. Trump said that he plans to "exclude from the apportionment base aliens who are not in a lawful immigration status." As such, many of them will not take part in the census.The order was singed in the president's office without the usual pomp and circumstance, perhaps emphasizing the signee's strong intentions, the Washington Times article insinuated. The president's decision was scoffed by civil right activists, who have already announced that the matter will be taken to court.Slamming Trump for the move, House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Carolyn Maloney said that “President Trump will stop at nothing to politicize our democratic institutions and harm entire communities for his own political interests."Trump's move can be considered "unconstitutional," since the participation in the census is open to any individual residing in the United States, regardless of his legal status. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court will ultimately have to decide whether to uphold the president't decision or revert it.
