Washington DC, July 21: United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a memorandum claiming that undocumented migrants should not be included for the purpose of apportionment of Representatives following the 2020 census. The memorandum seeks to bar people living illegally in the US from being counted in congressional reapportionment. China 'Chose' Not to Stop Coronavirus From Spreading Across The World, Says Donald Trump.

The move drew immediate criticism from democrats. "Respect for the law and protection of the integrity of the democratic process warrant the exclusion of illegal aliens from the apportionment base, to the extent feasible and to the maximum extent of the President's discretion under the law," reported USA Today quoting Trump as saying in the brief document. US President Donald Trump Tweets Image of Himself Wearing Mask and Calls It 'Patriotic'.

In the memo, the US President mentioned that country's Constitution did not specifically define which person must be included in congressional reapportionment. He added that the executive branch has the final say in the matter. However, it is not clear how the US Census Bureau will distinguish citizens from non-citizens.

Earlier also, Trump tried to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. That time, the Supreme Court blocked the administration's effort. Apportionment is the process to decide how many members of the House of Representatives each state will receive based on its population.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 22, 2020 12:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).