GOP lawmakers have introduced legislation to only count citizens for congressional apportionment
Senator on illegal immigration crisis: Democrats are destroying this country
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., talks about the ongoing rise of illegal immigration, the Senate working on border legislation, and the GOP holding the FBI accountable over an anti-Catholic memo.
Elon Musk took to X to call out an advantage that blue states have over red states in elections as a result of illegal immigration.
"Most people in America don’t know that the census is based on a simple headcount of people (including illegals) not just citizens," Musk wrote Saturday. "This shifts political power and money to states and Congressional districts with the highest number of illegals."
The comments come after Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., seemingly made light of the issue last month, arguing that worries over too many migrants coming to New York and filling up shelters took a back seat to the headcount in her congressional district.
"I need more people in my district just for redistricting purposes," Clarke said at the time.
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Elon Musk (Justin Sullivan)
The issue has also drawn attention from Republican members of Congress, with some going so far as to introduce an amendment to the Constitution that would require congressional district be apportioned by the population of citizens alone, not counting illegal migrants.
One such Republican was Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who responded to Musk's post and touted the resolution he cosponsored.
"True. And when they find out, most Americans disagree with the current practice of counting illegals in the census and awarding congressional representation and electoral votes based on illegals," Massie said in response to Musk.
Massie's office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
The issue was also picked up by Senate Republicans later last month, including Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who cosponsored legislation called the Equal Representation Act, which he said would "address the inclusion of illegal immigrants in the count for congressional district apportionment and Electoral College votes; highlight the potential for disproportionate political power."
Rep. Thomas Massie (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
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In a press release announcing the legislation, Cramer pointed to the surge in illegal immigration under the Biden administration, citing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data that found that the amount of non-detained docket immigration climbed by 30.3% in fiscal 2023 compared to the previous year.
"The Biden administration’s refusal to secure the southern border and then just allow unfettered entry into the United States by illegal immigrants has far-reaching impacts, far beyond just the things we think of on the surface," Cramer said in the release. "The Census is the foundation for representation in our political system, and any census that could include non-citizens in the apportionment count is really concerning to me, and it ought to be to all North Dakotans. Illegal immigrants and non-citizens cannot vote and should not be used as pawns as the Democrats redistrict in various states. Our Census has to count both Americans and non-Americans but should also distinguish between them."
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
The legislation was also backed by Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., James Lankford, R-Okla., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., John Thune, R-S.D., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and JD Vance, R-Ohio.
Hagerty, who led the effort, said in a press release that it is "unconscionable that illegal immigrants and non-citizens are counted toward congressional district apportionment and our electoral map."
"While people continue to flee Democrat-run cities, desperate Democrats are back-filling the mass exodus with illegal immigrants so that they do not lose their seats in Congress or their electoral votes for the presidency, hence artificially boosting their political power and in turn diluting the power of other Americans’ votes," Hagerty said.
