Thread: GOP says only legal residents should be counted in census

GOP platform says only legal residents should be counted in census
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
3:26 PM PDT, September 2, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The 2008 Republican platform, in language that is hostile to illegal immigrants, says the makeup of Congress should be determined by counting only those legally residing in the United States in the next census.

"The integrity of the 2010 census, proportioning congressional representation among the states, must be preserved," says the platform language, which is a reinterpretation of the Constitution that could affect how congressional seats are apportioned. "The census," it says, "should count every person legally abiding in the United States in an actual enumeration."


The 14th Amendment of the Constitution, ratified in 1868, says representatives to the U.S. House "should be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed."

"Our mandate is to count all residents regardless of legal status," said Mark Tolbert, a spokesman for the Census Bureau.

The bureau does not ask questions about legal status. Immigration groups have put the number of illegal immigrants at up to 12 million out of a U.S. population of more than 300 million.


Michigan Republican Rep. Candice Miller has proposed a constitutional amendment specifying that congressional representation "shall be determined by counting the number of persons in each state who are citizens of the United States."

Miller, in reintroducing the amendment last year, said that states with a large number of illegal immigrants are gaining unfair representation in the House. Had her amendment been in place before the 2000 census, Miller said, California would have six fewer seats in the House while New York, Florida and Texas would have one fewer seat. States with fewer undocumented residents, including her own state of Michigan and others such as Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, would have picked up a seat, she said.

The 2008 platform goes on to say that "we urge all who are legally eligible to participate in the census count to do so; at the same time, we urge Congress to specify — and to constitutionally justify — which census questions require a response."

Cecilia Munoz of the National Council of La Raza, an advocacy group for Hispanic Americans, said Sen. John McCain "has a great track record" on immigration issues but is being undercut by his party's positions. "The census language manages to be both unconstitutional and insulting," she said.

Separately, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a nonpartisan coalition of 26 Latino organizations, on Sunday sent McCain a letter saying the GOP platform repudiates McCain's efforts to provide undocumented residents with a path toward legal status. "We urge you to lead your party's platform away from the deportation and detention path that deprives newcomers and the nation of immigrants' positive economic and societal contributions."



http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 3411.story

GOP platform says only legal residents should be counted in census
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
3:26 PM PDT, September 2, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The 2008 Republican platform, in language that is hostile to illegal immigrants, says the makeup of Congress should be determined by counting only those legally residing in the United States in the next census.

That's what we have been saying her all along! Geeze.

"The integrity of the 2010 census, proportioning congressional representation among the states, must be preserved," says the platform language, which is a reinterpretation of the Constitution that could affect how congressional seats are apportioned. "The census," it says, "should count every person legally abiding in the United States in an actual enumeration."

Finally someone utters the word "Constitution" and it isn't Ron Paul?
Are you just waking up out of a coma GOP?

The 14th Amendment of the Constitution, ratified in 1868, says representatives to the U.S. House "should be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed."

REALLY?

"Our mandate is to count all residents regardless of legal status," said Mark Tolbert, a spokesman for the Census Bureau.

Mandate? Constitution? Huh

The bureau does not ask questions about legal status. Immigration groups have put the number of illegal immigrants at up to 12 million out of a U.S. population of more than 300 million.

Try 30-40 million!

Michigan Republican Rep. Candice Miller has proposed a constitutional amendment specifying that congressional representation "shall be determined by counting the number of persons in each state who are citizens of the United States."

Miller, in reintroducing the amendment last year, said that states with a large number of illegal immigrants are gaining unfair representation in the House. Had her amendment been in place before the 2000 census, Miller said, California would have six fewer seats in the House while New York, Florida and Texas would have one fewer seat. States with fewer undocumented residents, including her own state of Michigan and others such as Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, would have picked up a seat, she said.

It's in the Constitution! It's the law of our land.

The 2008 platform goes on to say that "we urge all who are legally eligible to participate in the census count to do so; at the same time, we urge Congress to specify — and to constitutionally justify — which census questions require a response."

You might as well be barking at the moon.

Cecilia Munoz of the National Council of La Raza, an advocacy group for Hispanic Americans, said Sen. John McCain "has a great track record" on immigration issues but is being undercut by his party's positions.

Don't worry he's just lying until he gets in..!

"The census language manages to be both unconstitutional and insulting," she said.

Don't even go into the Constitution lady! Obviously you make it up as you go. I saw you on Lou Dobbs and you just keep talking, and talking, and talking and you say nothing. You won't shut up. You are wrong, and everytime you get exposure you think you are so smart. We laugh at you when we aren't swearing at the TV.

"We urge you to lead your party's platform away from the deportation and detention path that deprives newcomers and the nation of immigrants' positive economic and societal contributions."

NEWCOMERS??? Illegals is more like it!

Originally Posted by FedUpinFarmersBranch

Miller, in reintroducing the amendment last year, said that states with a large number of illegal immigrants are gaining unfair representation in the House.

They are also gaining an unfair representation in the Presidential election, since the number of electors correspond to the number of seats in Congress.

CA, IL, NY, and other blue states with lots of illegals will give Obama about 15 to 20 additional electors over McCain.

The 2008 Republican platform, in language that is hostile to illegal immigrants,...

That's as far as I needed to read to know where this article was headed. Oh yeah, it's the LA Times, no wonder.

The fact is I watched c-span and this issue being raised in the meetings on the GOP platform...It was stated that in the laws on counting the population that only legal and U.S. citizens where allowed by law to be counted, so their was no reason to change anything.

They read it I heard it, so congress should not have to do anything and the censes should follow the law that is on the books....but I suppose they see this as another broken law!!! As does LaRaza when it is not to their liking.