US: California Demands Tally Of Undocumented In 2020 Census

The Attorney-General of California, Xavier Becerra, and several mayors of this state are filing a lawsuit against the U.S. government to call for the tally of undocumented immigrants in the country's 2020 census, in order to allocate the seats of the House of Representatives.

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The 21-page lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Northern District of California argues that it would be unconstitutional for the Trump administration not to count undocumented people in this year's census.

“You can’t be a law-and-order president if you keep breaking the law,” said the Attorney-General during a virtual press conference.

It also points out that the measure on this matter adopted by the Republican executive is an attempt to deprive California of at least one of its seats at the House of Representatives.

Along with determining representation in Congress, the census also dictates the allocation of federal funding. Becerra said Trump’s action would strip California cities and counties of critical funding for schools, transportation infrastructure, public parks and more.

With the November elections coming up, on July 21 the President Donald Trump signed a memorandum for the 2020 Census not to include in the district allocation tally illegal immigrants in the U.S.

The measure would mean an unprecedented change to the U.S. Constitution that establishes the count of every person who lives in the country, regardless of their immigration status.

The order is seen as Trump's search for an alternative solution, after last year the Supreme Court rejected his administration's attempt to add a question on citizenship to the census.