Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Drops Bid to Include Citizenship Question on Census
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
July 11, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump abandoned his controversial bid to demand citizenship details from all respondents in next year’s census Thursday, instead directing federal agencies to try to compile the information using existing databases.
“It is essential that we have a clear breakdown of the number of citizens and non-citizens that make up the United States population,” Trump said at a Rose Garden announcement. He insisted he was “not backing down.”
His reversal comes after the Supreme Court blocked his efforts to include the citizenship question and as the government had already begun the lengthy and expensive process of printing the census questionnaire without it.

Turning to Existing Records

Trump had said last week that he was “very seriously” considering an executive order to try to force the question’s inclusion, even though such a move would surely have drawn an immediate legal challenge.

“We’re aiming to count everyone.” — President Donald Trump
But he said Thursday that he would instead be signing an executive order directing agencies to turn records over to the Department of Commerce.
“We’re aiming to count everyone,” he said.
The American Community Survey, which polls 3.5 million U.S. households every year, already includes questions about respondents’ citizenship.
Critics have warned that including the citizenship question on the census would discourage participation, not only by those living in the country illegally but also by citizens who fear that participating will expose noncitizen family members to repercussions.

Executive Order Would Not Have Been Enough

Keeping the prospect of adding the question alive could in itself scare some away from participating, while showing Trump’s base that he is fighting for the issue.
Trump’s 2016 campaign was animated by his pledge to crack down on illegal immigration, and he has tied the citizenship question to that issue, insisting the U.S. must know who is living here.
An executive order, by itself, would not have overridden court rulings blocking the question, though it could have given administration lawyers a new basis on which to try to convince federal courts the question passes muster.
Trump had previewed his remarks earlier Thursday at a White House social media event, where he complained about being told: “‘Sir, you can’t ask that question … because the courts said you can’t.'”
Describing the situation as “the craziest thing,” he went on to contend that surveyors can ask residents how many toilets they have and, “What’s their roof made of? The only thing we can’t ask is, ‘Are you a citizen of the United States?'”

Numerous Roadblocks to Adding the Question

The Census Bureau had stressed repeatedly that it could produce better citizenship data without adding the question to the decennial census, which had not been done since 1950.
The bureau recommended combining information from the annual American Community Survey with records held by other federal agencies that already include citizenship records.
“This would result in higher quality data produced at lower cost,” deputy Census Bureau director Ron Jarmin wrote in a December 2017 email to a Justice Department official.
But Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the Census Bureau, ultimately rejected that approach and ordered the citizenship question be added to the census.
Trump’s administration has faced numerous roadblocks to adding the question, beginning with the ruling by the Supreme Court temporarily barring its inclusion on the grounds that the government’s justification was insufficient. A federal judge on Wednesday also rejected the Justice Department’s plan to replace the legal team fighting for inclusion, a day after another federal judge in Manhattan issued a similar ruling, saying the government can’t replace nine lawyers so late in the dispute without satisfactorily explaining why.

Schumer: Trump’s Efforts ‘Outrageous’

Refusing to concede, Trump had insisted his administration push forward, suggesting last week that officials might be able to add an addendum to the questionnaire with the question after it’s already printed. He has also toyed with the idea of halting the constitutionally mandated survey while the legal fight ensues.
Trump has offered several explanations for why he believes the question is necessary to include in the once-a-decade population count that determines the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives for the next 10 years and the distribution of some $675 billion in federal spending.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called Trump’s efforts “outrageous” and accused him of pushing the question “to intimidate minorities, particularly Latinos, from answering the census so that it undercounts those communities and Republicans can redraw congressional districts to their advantage.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Exclusive: US Congress Republicans Seek $27 Billion for Golden Dome in Trump Tax Bill

DON'T MISS

China Exempts Some Goods From US Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Luigi Mangione Due in Court for Arraignment as Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty

DON'T MISS

Shedeur Sanders Snubbed in NFL Draft’s Round 1 but Leads List of Top Available Players for Day 2

DON'T MISS

Chargers Choose North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton in Effort to Boost Offense

DON'T MISS

49ers Draft Georgia Edge Rusher Mykel Williams With the No. 11 Pick in the NFL Draft

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Immigration Approval Ratings Decline as Enforcement Tactics Lose Support

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Tased, Arrested After Suspected Reckless DUI in Kerman

DON'T MISS

Madera Vehicle Burglary Leads to Arrests, Gang Charges for Juveniles

DON'T MISS

Why Texas Is Ahead of California on Bilingual Education

UP NEXT

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Directs Investigations Over Gender-Affirming Care

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Cancels Hundreds of Grants for Police, Crime Victims

UP NEXT

Yelich’s 5th Career Slam and Bauers’ 2-Run Homer Power the Brewers to Win Over the Giants

UP NEXT

Happ Hits Game-Ending Single in the 10th as the Cubs Rally Past Dodgers

UP NEXT

Trump: No Plans to Fire Fed Chair Powell, but Wants Lower Rates

Shedeur Sanders Snubbed in NFL Draft’s Round 1 but Leads List of Top Available Players for Day 2

59 minutes ago

Chargers Choose North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton in Effort to Boost Offense

1 hour ago

49ers Draft Georgia Edge Rusher Mykel Williams With the No. 11 Pick in the NFL Draft

1 hour ago

Trump’s Immigration Approval Ratings Decline as Enforcement Tactics Lose Support

1 hour ago

Fresno Man Tased, Arrested After Suspected Reckless DUI in Kerman

1 hour ago

Madera Vehicle Burglary Leads to Arrests, Gang Charges for Juveniles

2 hours ago

Why Texas Is Ahead of California on Bilingual Education

2 hours ago

US Universities Help Foreign Students Weather Trump Deportations

2 hours ago

Alphabet Says Waymo May Offer Robotaxis for Personal Ownership in Future

2 hours ago

US Pharma Tariffs Would Raise US Drug Costs by $51 Billion Annually, Report Finds

2 hours ago

Exclusive: US Congress Republicans Seek $27 Billion for Golden Dome in Trump Tax Bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans in the U.S. Congress plan to introduce a sweeping $150 billion defense package that will give an in...

35 minutes ago

A Lockheed Martin Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile interceptor is seen during the third annual "Made in America Product Showcase" on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 15, 2019. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)
35 minutes ago

Exclusive: US Congress Republicans Seek $27 Billion for Golden Dome in Trump Tax Bill

A general view shows container terminal in Hong Kong, China, April 23, 2025. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo)
43 minutes ago

China Exempts Some Goods From US Tariffs

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group chief executive Brian Thompson, appears in Manhattan Supreme Court on New York state murder and terrorism charges in New York City, U.S., February 21, 2025. (Curtis Means/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
48 minutes ago

Luigi Mangione Due in Court for Arraignment as Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) throws a pass against Central Florida during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP File)
59 minutes ago

Shedeur Sanders Snubbed in NFL Draft’s Round 1 but Leads List of Top Available Players for Day 2

1 hour ago

Chargers Choose North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton in Effort to Boost Offense

1 hour ago

49ers Draft Georgia Edge Rusher Mykel Williams With the No. 11 Pick in the NFL Draft

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP File)
1 hour ago

Trump’s Immigration Approval Ratings Decline as Enforcement Tactics Lose Support

A Fresno man was arrested in Kerman on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, after allegedly driving recklessly, resisting arrest, and showing signs of being under the influence, police said. (Kerman PD)
1 hour ago

Fresno Man Tased, Arrested After Suspected Reckless DUI in Kerman

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend