President Donald Trump has ordered a new U.S. census that would exclude illegal immigrants from states’ population totals. For decades, illegal immigrants have been included in states’ census numbers, which results in states with high non-citizen populations getting more seats in the House of Representatives than they otherwise would.

In a statement posted on Truth Social Thursday, Trump announced that he has “instructed our Department of Commerce to begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024.” The president vowed that “People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS.”