A coalition of New York City Democrats has begun maneuvering to ensure the state's nearly 2 million illegal aliens will be counted in the 2030 census, The New York Times reported this week.
In January, Republicans at the state and national level initiated efforts to stop the counting of illegal migrants when determining a state's population. If successful, Democrats stand to lose several congressional seats, particularly in states such as California and New York, each of which is home to millions of illegal aliens.
Now, several of New York's elected officials are coming together to figure out how to stop the GOP's plans. Councilwoman Julie Menin, a Democrat from Manhattan's East Side, hosted a discussion in April at New York Law School on how to count city residents accurately.
While the Trump administration has begun its mass deportation efforts to first go after primarily illegal aliens who are criminals, critics say putting a citizenship question on the 2030 census could threaten legal immigrants as well.
Jeffrey M. Wice, a census expert and adjunct professor at New York Law School, told the Times that counting a population accurately is critical to obtaining proper funding.
"It could be very bad," Wice said. "If you want that hospital, if you want better schools, if you want better streets, it all gets down to representation and funding."
In 2020, 62% of New York City households responded to the census, but participation was less than half in some neighborhoods. Democrats fear a question asking residents their legal status will further reduce the participation rate.
Previous attempts by Republicans to add a citizenship question have been blocked by the courts, but in January, Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., reintroduced legislation, the Equal Representation Act, that would "require reporting on certain census statistics, and to modify apportionment of Representatives to be based on United States citizens instead of all persons."
The U.S. Census Bureau says it is committed to getting an accurate count despite concerns about funding and staffing issues.
"Through collaboration with state and local leaders, the American people will have a renewed faith in their nation's federal statistics," the bureau said in a statement.
In New York City, meanwhile, Menin has introduced legislation of her own to increase the participation of "historically undercounted groups and neighborhoods with low self-response rates."
"We know that the unexpected can happen and we need to be building the momentum and the strategies now," she told her group. "We can't afford to build the plane as we're flying it."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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