How The Pandemic And Trump's Efforts To Exclude Undocumented Immigrants Could Complicate The 2020 Ce

Published July 23, 2020 at 11:00 AM EDT

In this June 25, 2020, file photo, two young children hold signs through the car window that make reference to the 2020 U.S. Census as they wait in the car with their family at an outreach event in Dallas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

On Tuesday, President Trump signed a memorandum calling for the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the census count that determines House representation. But the power to make that decision, according to the Constitution, belongs to Congress. So what impact will his demand have?

Guests

Hansi Lo Wang, National correspondent for NPR covering the 2020 census. (@hansilowang)

Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. (@ThomasASaenz)

Rep. Mo Brooks, Republican representative for Alabama’s 5th congressional district. (@RepMoBrooks)

From The Reading List

NPR: “With No Final Say, Trump Wants To Change Who Counts For Dividing Up Congress’ Seats” — “President Trump released a memorandum Tuesday that calls for an unprecedented change to the constitutionally mandated count of every person living in the country — the exclusion of unauthorized immigrants from the numbers used to divide up seats in Congress among the states.”

The Washington Post: “Trump tries one more time to rig the census” — “‘Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.’ That text comes from the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, and it explains how apportionment to the House of Representatives works: Every 10 years, the government conducts the census, and the 435 seats in the House are distributed according to the number of ‘persons’ — not citizens, not adults, not dogs and cats, but persons — living in the United States.”

The Texas Tribune: “Trump pushes to exclude undocumented immigrants when congressional seats are divvied up next year” — “President Donald Trump opened a new front Tuesday in his effort to keep undocumented immigrants from being counted when lawmakers redraw congressional districts next year, a move that could cost Texas several seats in Congress if it succeeds.”

Politico: “Trump wants immigration out of the census — and at the center of the election” — “Trump moved Tuesday to bar undocumented immigrants from being counted in the census, which determines each state’s representation in Congress.

President Donald Trump wants to ban undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2020 census. That’s not all he’s doing on immigration in 2020. In recent months, Trump has moved to reduce the number of foreign workers in the U.S., end a program that protects children brought to the country illegally, build more than 450 miles of a wall along the southern border and sharply limit the granting of asylum claims.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.