Immigrant rights groups fight to keep noncitizens in census count

Immigrant rights groups filed motions in February 2026 to dismiss a Republican-led lawsuit that would exclude noncitizens from the 2030 census apportionment count. The case turned on the 14th Amendment's instruction to count "the whole number of persons in each State." Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed the underlying suit, joined by four other GOP state attorneys general in Louisiana federal court. A ruling for the plaintiffs could strip as many as 13 congressional seats from high-immigration states.