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President Donald J. Trump this morning wished the American people a happy independence day, and signaled to his base of supporters that he is working on one of there most important issues: illegal immigration.

“So important for our Country that the very simple and basic “Are you a Citizen of the United States?” question be allowed to be asked in the 2020 Census. Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice are working very hard on this, even on the 4th of July!” Trump said on Twitter.



“HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!” he added in all caps just minutes later.

The immigration status question on the census has been a hotbed issue over the past few weeks. Trump and his Department of Justice have been fighting to add the question to the the 2020 census, while Democrats and activist judges fight him at every turn.

As we reported Wednesday:

Many of President Donald J. Trump’s ardent immigration hardline supporters were disappointed yesterday by a report from the New York Attorney General’s Office which said that the Department of Justice was dropping its quest to put a question about citizenship on the 2020 U.S. Census.


But that report, along with subsequent leftist media reports celebrating the Trump administration’s failure, might not be true according to the President himself.

“The News Reports about the Department of Commerce dropping its quest to put the Citizenship Question on the Census is incorrect or, to state it differently, FAKE! We are absolutely moving forward, as we must, because of the importance of the answer to this question,” Trump said on Twitter.

Last week, the Supreme Court voted against adding a citizenship question to the census, stating that the explanation for why the DOJ wanted a citizenship question was insufficient. But the nation’s highest court left the option on the table for the DOJ to petition it again.
Fox News explained why the fight for the citizenship question is critical. If non-citizens who cannot vote are accounted for in total population numbers in the census, they could very well alter electoral maps and seats in Congress.

“Population counts from the Census are used to apportion House seats among the 50 states, and a new electoral map based on the Census will be in effect for the 2024 presidential election,” said a Fox News report. “States receive votes in the Electoral College equal to the number of members in their congressional delegation, counting both House and Senate seats.”


Adding to the confusion, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Tuesday that the census bureau has already started printing questionnaires without the citizenship question.


“I respect the Supreme Court but strongly disagree with its ruling regarding my decision to reinstate a citizenship question on the 2020 Census,” he said.


“The Census Bureau has started the process of printing the decennial questionnaires without the question. My focus, and that of the Bureau and the entire Department is to conduct a complete and accurate census.”

Wednesday night Trump directed the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice keep fighting in order to add the citizenship question to the census.

“A very sad time for America when the Supreme Court of the United States won’t allow a question of “Is this person a Citizen of the United States?” to be asked on the #2020 Census! Going on for a long time. I have asked the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice to do whatever is necessary to bring this most vital of questions, and this very important case, to a successful conclusion. USA! USA! USA!” he said.

The DOJ confirmed that it was following Trump’s directive.

“We at the Department of Justice have been instructed to examine whether there is a path forward, consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision, that would allow us to include the citizenship question on the census. We think there may be a legally available path under the Supreme Court’s decision,” Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt said.