Vitter: Democrats Want ‘Illegals Counted in Census’ to Boost House Numbers
Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 6:03 pm
“I think it’s pretty clear that Harry Reid and the Democratic side … wants illegals counted in the Census, wants illegals in the reapportionment of the House,” Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) said on a conservative talk radio show late yesterday, as reported by The Hill.
Vitter is co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) that would require census-takers to ask people about their immigration status as part of the survey, in order to exclude them from the apportionment process. Vitter yesterday claimed that illegal immigrants counted in the 2000 Census allowed California to gain up to five more seats in Congress than they’re actually entitled to have. But experts warn that changing the census questions at this stage of the process would be extremely costly.
The Vitter-Bennett amendment reportedly stalled passage (sub. req’d.) of the spending bill to which it was attached. The Senate voted no on cloture on Tuesday.
According to USA Today, the U.S. Census Bureau has asked people whether they are native or foreign-born since 1790, but it has never asked about their legal status. Immigrant advocacy groups oppose asking about immigration status because they say it’s already very difficult to get immigrants to participate in the census since they fear government reprisal, especially if they are in the United States illegally.
The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, among others, are actually calling for immigrants to boycott the Census unless laws are changed to give those here illegally a chance to gain legal status, though it’s not clear what exactly a boycott would accomplish.
“Already the public fears that the Census is too intrusive,” Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, told USA Today. “Asking about citizenship status “would raise more questions in the public mind about how confidential the Census is,” Vargas said.
Vitter yesterday claimed that Reid was “going through somersaults” to block a vote on the amendment because he worries that Democrats from states with low immigrant populations might vote for it.
Meanwhile, Congressional Quarterly reports (sub. req’d.) that Census experts oppose adding any new questions to the Census at this late stage because it would be extremely expensive to change the survey now and would delay the reapportionment process. And on Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said it’s too late to add the question now in time for next year’s census. TPM’s Christina Bellantoni reported that Locke cited in a memo the printing and shipping costs to replace the 300 million Census forms already produced. He also expressed concerns about the possible wording of the question.
“A change will require using untested content in the actual census, which may affect both response rates and data quality and cannot be implemented in time to deliver apportionment counts by the statutory deadline of December 31, 2010,” Locke wrote.
Former Census directors from both Republican and Democratic administrations (pdf) also urged the amendment’s defeat, reports CQ, saying the cost would be “almost incalculable.” Taxpayers have already spent about $7 billion preparing for the count. It begins April 1, 2010.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau Website, “Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute $400 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.”
15 Comments
Comment posted October 16, 2009 @ 12:50 am
Illegal aliens are destroying this Country, and if one can't see that, they have very poor eye sight.
Illegal aliens have made America the dumping ground for all their illegal alien children, then we have to school them and give them free medical care.
I for one, am sick and tired of these illegal aliens snubbing their nose at our immigration laws and the many other laws of this Country. If our Federal Government can not ENFORCE our immigration laws, and get these illegal aliens out of this Country, then let the States do it! One way or another, an end has to come to this illegal immigration, and not with AMNESTY! Amnesty will only encourage more illegal aliens to invade our Country and reward those who broke our laws and raped the American taxpayer in many ways…depressing our wages, taking our jobs, overwhelming our schools with their ILLEGAL ALIEN children, driving without a license or car insurance, all the crime from stolen identities to rape, drugs and everything else.
It's time for ZERO TOLERENCE with these illegal aliens. It's time for them get out of this Country and back in their own Country where they belong. When we get rid of the illegal aliens, we will get rid of all the problems that go with them. THAT IS A FACT!
Comment posted October 16, 2009 @ 1:02 am
E-Verify should be on the national agenda to countermand any illegal alien infiltration into the working environment. Whatever needs to done should take priority to remove the unauthorized labor in our jobless nation. More funding, more modifications until the illegal immigrant fraudulent use of documentation becomes a thing of the past. Using whatever technical programming that is available, to make it's operation inadvisable? Any database including state criminal, FBI, Social Security, Homeland Security, and any other means possible. Ultimately the final version would contribute photo verification, national ID system with biometric data which has been recommended by the Brooking's Institute and Duke University MIT. Supposedly small employers who don't operate computers should have common access in such locations as Post Offices or other approachable government building to identify the workers they are hiring.
There should be no excuse to not install a nationwide mandatory system of worker identification. My suggestion is that–ALL-I-9's should be copied and a duplicates sent to a Homeland Security Clearing House? Creating such an office would be a simple affair, if our state and federal government would be more beneficial to the working American male and female. If our government is sincere in securing our borders, ports and airlines and introducing new immigration enforcement tools, then E-Verify will become the final deterrent and not be weakened by Sen Harry Reid and his administration. I have made a point of speaking to a few business human resources departments, and found most are enthusiastic about the use of Verify. Only 1 of the 6 companies that I investigated determined some false negatives” and “false positives. But they always have a backup system of contacting the Social Security agency nearest to them, until the irregularities are resolved. Most immigration enforcement laws that have survived, such as 287 (g), is under attack, including the ICE raids. They have already silently rescinded the No-Match-Letter and other indicators show that the parties have many pro-illegal immigrant legislators amongst them?
All that remains is citizens and legal residents to stop the Obama people from throwing a wrench in the cogs and stopping any technological advancement with E-Verify. E-Verify can be used on a universal level in checking bogus drivers license applications, auto insurance, home purchase, health care and other personal data. It would certainly alleviate the kidnapping of social service programs by the 20 to 30 illegal immigrants in America. It would displace foreign nationals so down-trodden legal single mums with children, homeless vets, senior citizens and even students could get employment. It all depends on all of us to contact our Representative in Washington at 202-224-3121. Tell them you don't want half measures by full permanent implementation? NO MORE DRAGGING THEIR FEET? Tell them your remember them on next election day. YOU ALSO WANT TO COMMAND THEM. NO MORE AMNESTIES.
Small states will miss out big time on federal dollars in the 2010 Census, while mass illegal immigrant states will gain more seats in Congress and too much power and influence in general elections? California specifically, because of the handicapped zombie Liberal Democrats In Sacramento, who should be thrown out of office into a garbage dump, owing to the billions they used underwriting the illegal alien population. They caused the financial crisis in the once-Golden state, by ignoring the millions of illegal aliens, gang bangers bleeding San Fran and Los Angeles dry of revenue. Of course ICE could check the immigration status of those who are counted, even though it's supposedly against US law? Or is counting 20 million plus (?) non-legal residence against the US Constitution? But then these politicians do not recognize what is illegal from illegal anymore? Democrats are still endeavoring to give the children of illegal immigrants, access to colleges and university. Our children should come first because we are citizens and permanent residents.
Don't let them distract you, but repeat your demands without hesitation to these open border jerks. Invest a little time and check what your politicians are doing to our immigration enforcement safeguard at NUMBERSUSA. Read about the consequences of future OVERPOPULATION at CAPSWEB and our collapsing infrastructure, that has been ignored for decades nationwide. Last read factual information at JUDICIAL WATCH that discloses the lawmakers, that are running the country for themselves, friends and business associates. ITS ALL FREE. Read that some of the White House Czars are not true Democrats, but are shadowed by their past Liberal Marxist backgrounds.
Pingback posted October 16, 2009 @ 10:45 am
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Comment posted October 17, 2009 @ 3:05 pm
Vitter and his partner Bennett are phonies. Both have been in Congress for 10 years or more. Where have they been? The Census is well underway in terms of preparation; i.e., 180 million questionnaires already printed, software already written, interviewer training in process, etc.
Another inconvenient truth, 14th Amendment, Section 2. “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.” Repeat “persons”. A revision is possible – but only after ratification by state legislatures.
This is a dead issue. Your only purpose is to feed more misinformation to the tea-baggers. You should be ashamed.
Comment posted October 17, 2009 @ 3:07 pm
Vitter and his partner Bennett are phonies. Both have been in Congress for 10 years or more. Where have they been? The Census is well underway in terms of preparation; i.e., 180 million questionnaires already printed, software already written, interviewer training in process, etc.
Another inconvenient truth, 14th Amendment, Section 2. “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.” Repeat “persons”. A revision is possible – but only after ratification by state legislatures.
This is a dead issue. Their only purpose is to feed more misinformation to the tea-baggers. They should be ashamed.
Comment posted October 17, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
Illegal aliens already vote in elections. After all, it's apparently 'racist' to ask voters for ID. America needs to get its head out of its arse and make voter ID MANDATORY accross the country. Also, turf those stupid, Rube Goldberg voting machines for plain, old, verifyable PAPER ballots (mark an 'x'), like every other developed country uses.
Comment posted October 17, 2009 @ 9:03 pm
How do you square your characterization of the left as shilling for illegal voters with the fact that the Left has been screaming about the voting machines for at least a decade (in the face of a deafening silence on the right)?
Comment posted October 18, 2009 @ 6:00 am
While the 'left' fights any sort of voter ID, the 'right' still thinks those awfull machines are progressive and modern…not like those straightforward paper ballots Canada and every other Western country uses without trouble. BTW, Southern cesspools like Brazil (BIG on vote fraud) use machines. Not just the Diebold units, but the gamut of punchcards, levers and what have you that leave plenty of room for Murphy's Law to wreak havoc. Probably, the 'right' (i.e., the Repugnants) are getting campaign donations from machine manufacturers. Again, the lefties have fought any sort of voter ID tooth and nail. Actually, the 'left' (Democrats' construction and real estate sector) donors are served by illegals as well as the GOP's (banks, sweatshop owners). Both parties have also trolled for the Latino vote.
Pingback posted November 6, 2009 @ 3:33 am
[...] additional question about each individual’s citizenship and immigration status“: Vitter had claimed that counting illegal immigrants in the Census would allow Democrats to gain more seats in Congress than they’re entitled to have, [...]
Pingback posted November 6, 2009 @ 3:33 am
[...] additional question about each individual’s citizenship and immigration status“: Vitter had claimed that counting illegal immigrants in the Census would allow Democrats to gain more seats in Congress than they’re entitled to have, [...]
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