WASHINGTON, DC — FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s memorandum to exclude undocumented immigrants from the Census:

The President’s announcement today is a flagrantly unconstitutional attack on both the Census and our constitutional imperative to count each and every person equally, as enshrined in the United States Constitution. The Trump Administration’s goals are clear and two-fold: first, to sow chaos and fear, and undercount immigrant communities in order to manipulate the Census results and increase its own political power; and second, to lay the groundwork for moving away from counting all people for the purposes of representation in government and drawing political lines. Both goals are illegal and wrong.

A year ago, the Trump Administration was rebuked by the Supreme Court for trying to add a citizenship question to the Census in an unlawful manner. Today’s announcement is another attempt to undermine a legitimate count.

Passed in the aftermath of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment requires – in the clearest possible terms – the counting of ‘whole numbers of persons in each state.’ Moreover, the Constitution makes clear power on the Census lies with Congress, not the President.

Three facts are clear:

• The Supreme Court ruled a year ago that the Trump Administration cannot include a question about citizenship on the 2020 Census. Today’s effort by the Trump Administration is another effort to sow chaos and fear, and intentionally undermine a legitimate Census count.
• The President absolutely does not have the ability to exclude certain or all immigrant populations from the Census.
• The President’s efforts to appoint electoral districts by citizenship are unconstitutional and wrong.

“This intentional, unconstitutional move to strip away representation for immigrant communities — disproportionately Brown and Black — is a terrible example of the worst demons of structural racism that have haunted our country.

We call on every single elected official to denounce these efforts immediately.