President Trump officially issued his executive order Thursday, which demands all other departments and agencies provide the Commerce Department with any information related to citizenship.
Trump issued the order after courts ruled against having the citizenship question on the 2020 census. The order was also issued to avoid delaying the census any longer.
“To achieve that goal, I have determined that it is imperative that all executive departments and agencies provide the Department the maximum assistance permissible, consistent with law, in determining the number of citizens and non-citizens in the country, including by providing any access that the Department may request to administrative records that may be useful in accomplishing that objective,” the executive order states.
All agencies are being ordered to provide the citizenship data to an interagency working group that will be created to process the information.
State information on citizens will also be sent to the Commerce Department.
In the order, Trump outlines which information will be sent by which federal agency:
- Department of Homeland Security: National-level file of Lawful Permanent Residents, naturalizations, F1 and M1 nonimmigrant visas, national-level file of customs and border arrival/departure transaction data
- Department of State: refugee and asylum visas, national-level passport application data
- Social Security Administration: Master beneficiary records
- Department of Health and Human Services: CMS Medicaid and CHIP Information System
Trump has instructed the Commerce Department begin planning the administrative processes necessary to add the citizenship question to the census in 2030.
