American Citizenship’s Dead Trumped End

Trump pushed hard to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census — which critics argued would discourage people from participating, even if they are in the country legally — with the ultimate goal of excluding immigrants in the country illegally from the count for apportionment.

Historically, that’s not how it’s been done; the 14th Amendment requires House seats be apportioned by “counting the whole number of persons in each State,” and non-citizens have never been excluded from apportionment totals.

Adding the question was litigated heavily, with the Supreme Court ultimately ruling that the Trump administration could not do so, largely on procedural grounds.

Had Trump won this fight it would have been hugely consequential. The census is a massive, constitutionally-mandated undertaking that has a dramatic effect on American politics — resetting the number of House seats (and therefore the number of Electoral College votes) each state gets and directing billions of federal dollars.

The Trump administration pivoted to issuing an executive order demanding that government agencies produce “administrative records” to determine the number of non-citizens, and a memorandum “on excluding illegal aliens” from apportionment, which drew yet another lawsuit.

“By 2027, we will clear our territory of illegal immigrants, no matter where they come from or what ideas they bring with them. IT’S a DEAD END, Your TICKET To MEXICO,”

Trump said.