News

Edwards pursues 'No Representation Without Legal Immigration Act'

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 3, 2023

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards hopes to prohibit anyone who is not an American citizen from counting toward the population totals that determine the number of seats each state has in Congress.

The No Representation Without Legal Immigration Act would take effect following the 2030 decennial census and any censuses thereafter It would:

• Prohibit the U.S. Census Bureau from counting non-U.S. citizens toward population totals that determine the number of representatives each state is given in the U.S. House.
• Nullify President Joe Biden’s “Executive Order on Ensuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial Census,” which ordered that illegal immigrants and non-permanent residents be counted in the total population used to determine the number of House seats for each state (Jan. 20, 2021).

“The No Representation Without Legal Immigration Act is a commonsense solution to restore and strengthen our democracy by making sure that only American citizens — not immigrants who are ineligible to vote — determine the number of congressional seats each state has,” Edwards said in a news release. “Congressional representation affects our policies, our people and the course of our nation’s history. Americans deserve representation that accurately reflects the number of persons actually eligible to vote in each state.”

A 2020 Pew Research study found that according to the 2020 Census data, Texas, Florida and California would each lose one congressional seat, and Alabama, Minnesota and Ohio would each gain one congressional seat if unauthorized immigrants were not included in the population count.