Concerns Rise Over New York Democrats and 2030 Census
Democrats in New York are reportedly working to increase the city’s representation in Congress and federal funding by including undocumented immigrants in the upcoming 2030 census.
A coalition of elected officials, community leaders, and activists in New York City is focusing on the census as a priority. There’s a growing anxiety among Democrats about potentially losing at least two of their 26 congressional seats.
Amid rising tensions due to the previous administration’s immigration policies and recent proposals by Republican lawmakers to include citizenship questions on the census, the stakes are high. These discussions touch on whether non-citizens will be counted, which impacts how seats are allocated.
According to 2023 census data from the Institute for Immigration Policy, New York is home to more than 4.5 million immigrants, making up about 23.1% of the total population. Of those, around 1.8 million are recorded as non-citizens.
Jeffrey M. Wiess, a census expert at New York Law School, pointed out that the state is already projected to lose two congressional seats based on current estimates and could face further losses if non-citizens are excluded from the count.
In a statement from January 2024, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), who serves Brooklyn’s 9th District, expressed her belief in the importance of including undocumented individuals, stating that “more people in my district need more for the purposes of redecomposition.”
Breitbart News reported that Lora Ries from the Heritage Foundation expressed concerns about how Democrats benefit from counting non-citizens in the census, even though they cannot vote. This practice influences the formation of congressional districts.
Reese added that the goal of gaining district representation is a significant factor driving Democratic support for increased immigration. The latest census data indicates that large urban areas rely on immigration to boost populations, which shifts political power away from rural communities.
Reflecting on these dynamics, Kansas Attorney General Chris Kobach (R) previously noted that the congressional allocation system counts all residents, regardless of citizenship status. He emphasized that the counting method treats citizens and non-citizens alike, creating challenges in understanding the impact of immigration on representation.
