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House Republicans push bill to apportion seats based only on citizens
Rep. Andrew Clyde’s proposal would change how House seats are divided among the states by excluding noncitizens from the count. Fox News reported that the measure could trigger a constitutional fight and reshape representation ahead of the next presidential cycle.
A bill introduced by Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia would change the basis for dividing U.S. House seats among the states. According to Fox News, the proposal would require that only citizens be counted for apportionment rather than all residents.
Fox News reported that the measure is called the Make Apportionment Great Again Act and is aimed especially at states with large noncitizen populations. The U.S. Census, however, has traditionally counted everyone living in the country, regardless of citizenship or legal status.
According to Fox News, the Census website says immigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens, make up one-fifth of the population in California, New Jersey, New York and Florida. The outlet also noted that people living illegally in sanctuary jurisdictions are, in theory, counted as well.
The report cited a 2024 study by the Center for Immigration Studies, which said legal and illegal immigration produced a net gain of 14 seats in Democratic-leaning states. The same study said Republican states had 10 fewer seats than they otherwise would have had.
Fox News said the bill would not require a new census beyond the 2020 count. Instead, states would have to use existing records for reapportionment sometime in 2027. It would also add a new question to the 2030 census asking whether a person is a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national but not a citizen, an alien lawfully residing in the United States, or an alien unlawfully residing in the United States.
The proposal could still face major court challenges. Fox News noted that the 14th Amendment says House seats are apportioned by counting the whole number of persons in each state, without specifying citizenship, a point that could fuel legal objections from pro-immigration and left-leaning groups.
The bill also comes after a 2021 video resurfaced in July showing, according to Fox News, Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York saying she needed more immigrants in her district for redistricting purposes. Fox News added that Clarke’s office did not respond to a request for comment at the time.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
