ISTANBUL 

US President Donald Trump ordered a new "highly accurate" census Thursday that will exclude people who are illegally in the country from being counted.

"I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately 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," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS.”

The announcement continues Trump's focus on undocumented immigrants, who face expanded deportation policies under his administration. Trump has revived an 85-year-old law requiring undocumented immigrants to register with the federal government

His administration has also encouraged "mass self-deportation" and expanded definitions of who is considered undocumented by rescinding work permits and protections.

Trump has previously questioned the accuracy of federal data, calling government economic reports "rigged" and he fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer when data contradicted his narrative.