Trump Orders Agencies Gather Citizenship Data After Census Loss

U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned his plans to add a specific “citizenship” question to 2020 census forms, ordering state agencies to compile a list of citizenship data instead.

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“We will utilize these vast federal databases to gain a full, complete and accurate count of the non-citizen population, including databases maintained by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. We have great knowledge in many of our agencies,” Trump said Thursday in a press conference from the White House.

“We will leave no stone unturned,” he added.

The citizenship census proposal lost by a five-four ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court last week. Although the Senate didn’t specify its reason for rejecting the president’s move, critics say anyone living in the country has a right to participate in the census as it determines the number of Congressional state representatives allotted per region. Including the question, although not exactly unconstitutional, would create a wave effect, scaring away minorities — even legal citizens — from participating in the government questionare.

Attorney with Arnold & Porter, Stanton Jones, told the New York Times, “The citizenship question was always a cynical ploy to rig American elections for partisan and racially discriminatory reasons.”

However, Trump is attempting to reassert his reputation as an “immigration hawk” prior to the 2020 reelection. He has ordered the Commerce Department to use its resources from the Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to determine the number of citizens and non-citizens are in the country.

Democratic Senator and presidential hopeful, Elizabeth Warren responded to Trump's newest move saying, "This is not about trying to find out real information about citizenship and non-citizenship in America," she continued. "This is just about trying to stir up more hate."

"We are not backing down on our effort to determine the citizenship status of the U.S. population," Trump said from the Rose Garden.