WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Sunday that President Trump’s 2020 census is an attack on blue states like New York.

“This is another effort, we think, to punish states that have large numbers of immigrants – states that are bluer states that tend to have larger numbers of immigrants and are more welcoming to immigrants,” Schneiderman said on MSNBC’s “Politics Nation.”

Schneiderman and at least a dozen states attorneys general have filed suit to prevent the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question on the 2020 census, claiming the question will depress immigrant participation.

A low population count impacts everything from the number of congressional representatives in Washington to federal funding for housing, transportation and other programs.

“This is unconstitutional and fundamentally un-American,” Schneiderman said, noting the constitution calls for an accurate count of everyone – regardless of their citizenship status. “We are determined to go into court to stop this.”

The Trump administration announced last week it plans to ask on the 2020 census whether participants are US citizens.

The White House says it’s needed to get an accurate count of non-citizens and help enforce the Voting Rights Act, which aims to prevent violations at polling stations.

The a dministration said last week “that obtaining complete and accurate information to meet this legitimate government purpose outweighed the limited potential adverse impacts.”

Schneiderman, however, equated the census question as the latest chapter in Trump’s campaign to stop funding for so-called sanctuary cities.

He believes the number of states joining the law suit has jumped to 18 – led by New York and California.

“It’s seems to be another part of their overall attack on immigrants and jurisdictions that are more welcoming to immigrants,” Schneiderman said.