What’s Actually Happening
President Trump just ordered the Commerce Department to create a new census. This “new and highly accurate CENSUS” would exclude people in the country illegally from the count used to divide up seats in Congress.
Think of it like this: if your neighbor counts extra people living in his house when the government decides how many representatives your town gets, your voice gets smaller.
Trump wrote on Truth Social:
BREAKING: Trump Orders New Census – Illegals Will NOT Be Counted@POTUS @realDonaldTrump has just ordered the @CommerceGov to launch a new and accurate census that excludes illegal aliens from the count.
“People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE… pic.twitter.com/etMVJ70rWs
— LindellTV (@RealLindellTV) August 7, 2025
This isn’t just talk. It’s part of a bigger push to redraw congressional maps before the 2026 elections.
Why Nevada Should Pay Attention
Here’s the thing about Nevada that many people don’t realize. Nevada’s unauthorized immigrant population is approximately 210,000 people, or 7% of the state’s population—the highest proportion of immigrants to total population of any state. That’s more than one out of every 14 people.
In 2018, 587,686 immigrants comprised 19 percent of Nevada’s population, and 210,000 undocumented immigrants comprised 35 percent of the immigrant population and 7 percent of the total state population.
To put this in perspective, about 615,000 foreign-born residents live in Nevada as of 2023, which is roughly 19.2% of the population.
Most of these folks live in Las Vegas. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise has 21.8% foreign-born residents, making it one of the most immigrant-heavy metro areas in America.
What This Means for Congressional Seats
The numbers matter because they directly affect how many people Nevada sends to Congress. Every state gets House seats based on total population. More people means more seats. Fewer people means fewer seats.
Research shows that immigration has been redistributing political power for decades, with high-immigration states gaining seats while low-immigration states lose them. If Trump’s plan works, Nevada could see its political influence shrink.
But here’s where it gets tricky. Analysis shows that if unauthorized immigrants were excluded from the 2020 census count, the changes wouldn’t be as dramatic as some claim. Since 1980, including undocumented residents has made no more than two seats difference for party control of the House and no more than three votes difference in the Electoral College.
The Conservative Case
Many conservatives see this as a fairness issue.
As The Heritage Foundation argues:
“American citizens should not have their voting rights devalued or their congressional and presidential representation corrupted due to the inclusion of noncitizens in our Census.”
Senator Bill Hagerty from Tennessee puts it simply:
“The power of each American’s vote doesn’t depend on the number of illegal aliens in the area”.
The argument is that counting people who can’t vote gives extra political power to areas with lots of illegal immigrants.
Congressman Chuck Edwards notes that:
“A 2019 study by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates illegal immigrants and non-citizens who have not naturalized and do not have the right to vote impact the distribution of 26 House seats”.
This creates what conservatives call a “perverse incentive.” States that attract illegal immigrants get more congressional seats and Electoral College votes. States that don’t lose representation.
What Critics Are Saying
Democrats and immigrant rights groups are fighting this hard. They argue the Constitution requires counting “the whole number of persons in each state”, not just citizens.
Genesis Robinson from Equal Ground calls it “morally repugnant” and “legally indefensible”. Critics worry this would discourage immigrant families from participating in the census at all, making the count less accurate.
The Big Legal Problem
The Supreme Court already blocked Trump’s attempt to add a citizenship question in 2019, calling the justification “contrived”. Courts have consistently ruled that the Constitution requires counting everyone, not just citizens.
Experts call this idea “logistically impossible” to carry out quickly. The 2030 census planning started years ago.
Census expert Terri Ann Lowenthal says:
“He cannot unilaterally order a new census. The census is governed by law, not to mention the Constitution.”
But don’t count Trump out yet. The House already passed the Equal Representation Act, which would require citizenship questions and exclude non-citizens from congressional apportionment. Twenty-one Republican senators introduced similar legislation.
If Republicans gain more control in Congress, they could change the law. But that’s a big if.
What Conservatives Can Do
First, understand that this fight isn’t over. The legal battles will be huge. Conservative groups like The Heritage Foundation are pushing hard for change.
Second, support candidates who back the Equal Representation Act. This issue will likely be on ballots for years to come.
Third, stay informed about your local census participation. Even if you support excluding illegal immigrants from congressional counts, accurate population data still matters for federal funding and local planning.
Finally, remember that Nevada’s high immigrant population makes this a particularly important issue for our state. Whether you see it as unfair representation or necessary inclusion, the outcome will directly affect Nevada’s political power in Washington.
The bottom line? Trump’s census order probably won’t survive in court. But the political fight over who counts in America is just getting started.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
