Census

The push to exclude undocumented immigrants from the US census strikes at the intersection of constitutionality, dehumanization, and political maneuvering.

The Massachusetts Republican party has recently set its sights on immigrant exclusion from the census, setting up a partisan battle with the Massachusetts Democrats.

The case for exclusion

To steel-man the Republican position, we must recount the best possible argument for not including illegal immigrants. In my own words:

The census exists to serve federal resource allocation and political representation. Including illegal immigrants in the census dilutes the political power of US citizens. In addition, including illegal immigrants in the census impacts the number of representatives in a district, skewing political power in favor of Democrats, who cater more to illegal immigrants. Democrats counted non-citizen slaves in the past in order to increase their political power. Excluding illegal immigrants from the census ensures that US citizens are represented by US representatives and benefit most directly from US federal funding.

The purpose of inclusion

The US census is, and only ever has been, a count of population–not a registry of US citizens. The former pertains to “how many people live here?” and the latter to “how many citizens live here?”. The number of people who live in an area is a better measure of the resources needed to sustain it. Even if some of the people are living there illegally, public services–such as schools, hospitals, and infrastructure–need to handle the capacity that exists. Purposely undercounting undocumented immigrants doesn’t shrink demand, it obfuscates it. Furthermore, illegal immigrants cannot cast votes; despite allegations that they do anyway, penalties are steep, and widespread fraud has never been proven with evidence.

The Constitutional (and moral) significance

From the first census in 1790, non-citizens have always been included due to the use of “persons” (not “citizens”) in the US Constitution. Courts have consistently upheld this interpretation to include everybody. Exclusion would require amending the Constitution, not a partisan policy shift. As I’ve noted in the past, protecting the most vulnerable, least powerful populations in the US is paramount for upholding a free society that’s just and fair for everybody. The way a nation treats its criminals and undocumented immigrants sets the standard for how it can treat its everyday citizens.

You and I are much closer in status to undocumented immigrants than we are to policy makers and law enforcement. By ensuring they are counted as “persons” and treating them with dignity, we ensure the humanity and decency of our nation. If we allow divisive partisan rhetoric to erase people from the census, it opens the door to dehumanizing anyone deemed “convenient”.