The Trump administration has proposed significant changes to the 2030 census, aiming to exclude immigrants without green cards from the population count and to eliminate questions about race and ethnicity. This overhaul would redefine who is considered a U.S. resident for federal purposes, potentially impacting the distribution of congressional seats and billions in federal funding.

This proposal marks a departure from the traditional census process, which has counted all residents regardless of immigration status since the Constitution mandated a decennial count. The changes would also remove questions about sexual orientation, a move that could affect data collection for civil rights protections.

Critics, including demographer William H. Frey of the Brookings Institution, argue that omitting these populations and questions would "stick our heads in the sand" and undermine the accuracy of the census. The proposal is expected to face legal challenges, as it may disproportionately affect areas with large immigrant populations, which tend to vote Democratic.

The rule, signed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, cites an executive order from former President Trump to exclude undocumented immigrants. However, it goes further by also excluding legal immigrants without green cards. The changes would take effect after the 2028 presidential election, allowing a new administration to reverse them, but the proposal has already sparked concerns about its impact on representation and resource allocation.