Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
California Sues Trump Over Census Memo Aimed At Excluding Immigrants Who Lack Legal Status From Political Representation
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
()
California and several other local plaintiffs, including the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, are suing President Trump to block his administration’s recent memo aimed at excluding immigrants here without legal permission from political representation.
The memo targets reapportionment. That's the process of determining how many seats each state is allotted in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Constitution mandates that calculation be based on total state population, but the administration wants to include only people with legal resident status.
California’s lawsuit challenging this policy was filed independently from a complaint submitted by New York and 19 other states last Friday. In a press conference today, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra explained this decision to fight the Trump administration separately. Becerra said:
“There’s no state, no area in the county hit harder, hit faster by this [memo], than California. We will defend every single inch of ground in California and every single person in our state because the law requires it.”
Support for LAist comes from
The Trump memo states:
“Current estimates suggest that one State is home to more than 2.2 million illegal aliens, constituting more than 6 percent of the State's entire population. Including these illegal aliens in the population of the State for the purpose of apportionment could result in the allocation of two or three more congressional seats than would otherwise be allocated.”
The complaint filed by California, several local cities, and LAUSD claims that Trump’s memo would cause harm to the state by cutting the number of representatives allotted to Congress, and by stifling census participation.
Already, California stands to lose up to two seats simply based on population changes.
Becerra and the other plaintiffs are seeking an injunction against Trump’s policy. The brief argues that the memo violates the 14th Amendment, which states, “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.”
Becerra also argues that the memo doesn’t carry any legal weight.
“It’s not an executive order,” Becerra said. “He put together a memorandum, cut and pasted some language in there that looked pretty good, and tried to call it law.”
Support for LAist comes from
READ UP ON THE TRUMP MEMO:
- With No Final Say, Trump Wants To Change Who Counts For Dividing Up Congress' Seats
- California Would Lose Seats In Congress If (And It's A Big If) Trump Can Omit Immigrants Lacking Legal Status From Counts
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzOTZweCIgd2lkdGg9IjY0MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding.
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline.
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist