Colorado on Friday joined states challenging President Trump’s plan to amend the census, the basis for how seats for Congress and Electoral College votes are awarded.

Trump issued a memo this week seeking to exclude unauthorized immigrants from the census that is constitutionally mandated to count of every person living in the country.

Colorado is joining opponents from states and local governments across the country, particularly those with large immigrant communities. The census also is used to divide up government money.

The move by the administration follows the U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking a census question about citizenship.

The administration contends the Constitution does not specify “persons” for the purpose of basing apportionment for Congress.”

“We will collect all of the information we need to conduct an accurate census and to make responsible decisions about public policy, voting rights, and representation in Congress,” Trump said in a statement about the memo.

The Constitution grants authority over the count to Congress, not the president, argues the lawsuit by Colorado and other opponents.

A statement from Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office Friday afternoon said the president’s move is “politicizing the census and violating basic constitutional commands.”

“The Census is a fundamental tool to democracy and is too important for partisanship. Coloradans can be confident that the people’s lawyer, Phil Weiser, is fighting for us,” Gov. Jared Polis said in the statement. “An accurate count of the Census, and proper apportionment pursuant to the Constitution, ensures Colorado will receive our share of critical federal funding for our schools, infrastructure, and other important projects.”

Weiser said the U.S. Constitution is clear on how representation is decided by Congress, but instead the administration is trying to intimidate undocumented residents from participating in the count, which still indirectly hurts their communities.

“We are fighting this unconstitutional policy to make sure Colorado gets its fair share of congressional seats and federal funding after the 2020 census,” Weiser stated.

Others in the lawsuit include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.