The issue of illegal immigration and its potential impact on states’ representation in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College is a matter of concern raised by immigration experts.
The executive order signed by President Biden, shortly after taking office in January 2021, mandates that the U.S. Census Bureau include all residents, regardless of their citizenship status, in the calculation of the U.S. population.
illegal immigration
This directive could sway the apportionment of House seats and consequently influence the number of electoral votes for presidential elections, as migrants continue to enter the country illegally across the southern border.
Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, expressed his belief that illegal immigration distorts the mechanics of democratic government.
He argues that since illegal immigrants are not supposed to be in the country, their inclusion in the census count for apportionment purposes is objectionable. Krikorian points out that the presence of illegal immigrants could impact close votes in Congress, increasing the influence of certain states.
He contends that the focus should not be on personal influence but rather on whether such a distortion is right or healthy for the democratic process.
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According to estimates by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, there are approximately 16.8 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. as of June 2023.
Given that each House seat represents an average of 761,168 residents, these illegal immigrants account for roughly 22 seats in the House.
The recent 2020 census resulted in a reduction of one House seat for New York, leaving the state with 26 seats. The Census Bureau highlights that a mere 89 additional residents would have allowed New York to maintain its previous apportionment, underscoring the fragility of states’ House seat levels.
Furthermore, the distribution of electoral votes for presidential elections is based on the number of representatives in Congress that each state has. Therefore, states with a larger number of House seats wield greater influence during these elections. The issue of illegal immigration and its impact on representation and apportionment in Congress has been emphasized by Ries and Hauman, who co-authored an essay warning about the distorted representation caused by illegal immigration.
They argue that barring noncitizens from being included in apportionment is crucial to ensure that only American citizens, who have the right to vote, choose the country’s leaders.
They assert that the intentional border crisis under President Biden’s administration has resulted in unprecedented apportionment issues, affecting states’ representation in the House and their electoral votes in presidential elections.
