On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Michigan Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Garlin Gilchrist (D) responded to President Donald Trump saying that he wants to exclude illegal immigrants from the Census by stating that the Census is about counting individuals and the Census impacts “how many block grant dollars come to a community to build affordable housing, a problem that exists in communities across Michigan and across America. But, Trump, again, rather would cheat and fudge with the numbers instead of delivering resources to people.”
Host Jake Tapper asked, “What do you make of President Trump proposing to exclude undocumented immigrants from a Census population count, which he’s now asking for now, again, not waiting until the end of the decade? How might that effort impact congressional districts in your state?”
Gilchrist answered, “Well, first and foremost, this guy is completely grasping at straws. Look, I chaired a commission in 2021 to try to make sure we could increase Census participation in the state of Michigan, because, frankly, the Census is about counting people, period. That’s what it’s designed for. That’s what we’re directed to do. And, frankly, this impacts the resources that flow into the communities. Even before we talk about congressional representation, let’s talk about the fact that it impacts the money for buses in a community, how many block grant dollars come to a community to build affordable housing, a problem that exists in communities across Michigan and across America. But, Trump, again, rather would cheat and fudge with the numbers instead of delivering resources to people. It’s really problematic. I do have concerns about them trying to continue to undercount people in cities like Detroit and across Michigan. Instead, these resources need to be flowing so that people can have affordable housing, can have buses that work, and have a society that functions.”
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