National & Minnesota Report
We learned long ago to “Beware the Unititended Consequences”, but Donald J Trump’s (R) most recent bout showing his (lack of) brilliance, while he sports a hat making an unfounded, contrary statement, (Trump was Always Right About Everything) consists of, choosing the determination of those allowed to be counted in the census, based only on citizenship. It’s down right dumb. Only counting those American citizens or like his wife Melania, a naturalized person, effectively limits those whose made it across the bar and are countable is fricking stupid.
If Trump could actually count, the US House districts effected by undocumented immigrants will be reduced in size significantly and the whole map of the 435 US House district shifts. Its like Jenga.
The census reads: Article I, Section 2, decennial census (a headcount every 10 years) to apportion representatives among states and for other purposes. This enumeration of “persons” every 10 years is conducted “in such Manner as [Congress] shall by Law direct”. The census determines how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives and is used for redistricting, as well as for distributing federal funds to communities.
So this means, the numbers shown, in 2023, provide the US unauthorized immigrant population reached a record high of 14 million, with a significant portion residing in states like California, Texas, and Florida. While these three states accounted for 56% of the total unauthorized immigrant population in 2023, other states with notable populations included New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.
State-by-state breakdown of unauthorized immigrants based on 2023 estimates are:
- California: 2.3 million
- Texas: 2.1 million
- Florida: 1.6 million
- New York: 825,000
- New Jersey: 600,000
- Illinois: 550,000
If these are starter numbers, and then applying the political aspects to these numbers, 4.275 million people are represented by Democrats and 3.70 million by Republicans. Now, if we extrapolate these numbers across the nation it gets more interesting, but not as informative. Why, because not every state is as partisan driven or, a place as dogmatically or as slavenly tied to Trump, or at least we hope not.
This is significant, because, again the states decide their own application of voting and their own determination of voting districts within the confides of their own state boundaries. The jurisdictions are defined by the respective state legislatures and again it is determined by the majorities in each.
We have only reflected the House districts numerically, but guess what, the voter have their own minds and can make different things happen. Historically, the party in power of the presidency losses 26 seats in the mid-term elections. Hopefully, that holds true. If the maps are shifted in the mid-term it could change or even be exasperated.
As goes Texas, which currently at a 25 to 13 on a Republican/Democratic split. Compared to California, which is has 52 representatives: 43 Democrat/9 Republican. If this pursuit follows, New York is represented by 26 members of Congress, 19 Democrats and 7 Republicans. Illinois has Democrats and 3 Republicans, but its not a game, like Dominos.
If you reduce the number of people, state-by-state, the size of the districts shift and the impact of southern states lessen.
Its just simple math.