I'm not generally in favor of the government collecting more information. But this got me thinking as to how the number of representatives is determined. Does it make sense for a state with a large number of non-citizens, legal or not, to get more representatives based on that population? They can't vote so what you end up with is a smaller number of people having a greater influence than those in a state where the number of non citizens is lower. Just a thought...
I'm not a big fan of Trump but wanting to stop illegal immigration isn't the same as wanting to stop immigration. The problem is that the only discussion we seem to be having is what to do about illegal immigration instead of how to improve the immigration process overall so that it doesn't take forever for the people who go through the process they are supposed to. I mean if you get married to someone from another country it takes on the order of ~8 months to get them here currently and it can take much longer if things don't go perfectly. Not to mention the absurd amount of paperwork and the vaguely specified supporting documentation required. Then there is still more of a process to go through to get permanent resident status (which is necessary to stay) and more process still to get citizenship (which is not strictly necessary but desirable for a number of reasons). And getting married to a U.S. citizen has the reputation of being an easy path to citizenship.
There used to be talk of "comprehensive immigration reform" which was mostly just code for some BS each political party wanted for political purposes but at the end of the day it accurately describes what is needed. There needs to be an easy way for people to get work permits who don't necessarily want to become citizens, there needs to be a reasonably clear and fast route for those going through the legal process, etc. I'm not sure what the solution is but the immigration system as a whole is pretty horrible and there has to be a better way. However, I don't think that translates into opening the border and letting everyone across either.
Back to the census, a citizenship question is pointless in the context of the original purpose of the census, to determine the number of representatives, if that question isn't going to be used as part of that determination. Of course, the census has grown to encompass much more than that. Given the various demographic information that is collected, a citizenship question would fit right in and make a lot of sense. But then I'm not a fan of the information being collected in the first place.
However, if there is one piece of information it is valid for a government to know about you, it is whether or not you are a citizen and you have to provide that information in a variety of ways all the time. For instance, getting a passport requires proof of citizenship. Getting a drivers license often requires proof of citizenship (usually a birth certificate) though this may depend on your state. Perhaps most importantly, you must be a citizen to legally vote. And not being a citizen doesn't mean you are living in the U.S. illegally. Green card holders/permanent residents are non-citizens. You can also be living in the U.S. temporarily on various kinds of visas. It would seem to me to be a more valid question than many on the census so I don't really understand the opposition to it.
I honestly don't think Trump cares about the issue of immigration very much at all or really many of the issues he supports or opposes. I think his only goal in life is winning. If he can take a position, win on that position (or claim a win in some way which he always does regardless), then he is happy. He's like that kid you knew who always had to win or be right. The issue itself isn't what is important to him. In any case, this idea that he hates all immigrants and wants to get rid of them is dismissive of a legitimate problem with illegal immigration in this country. It's a security problem. It's a financial problem. It's a particularly big problem for border states. Improving border security IS important. But so is reforming the immigration system so that it is MUCH more efficient and can handle a larger number of people whether it is people coming temporarily for work or seeking citizenship.
I think you are being paranoid to an extent. At least I don't see how a citizenship question could make it any worse but in the end it may be pointless. I mean the government already has a list of everyone who has applied for legal status in the U.S. and knows what their status is. You have to fill out paperwork for that. Lots of it. They don't know all of the illegal immigrants but shouldn't they? And regardless, how many illegal immigrants are going to fill out that question saying they aren't a citizen? How many illegal immigrants fill out census information at all? Why would they?