Speech #960293143

If I may reclaim my time. certainly I think this should be made very clear. we are not talking in this amendment about Federal largesse or the need to support those illegal aliens who are in need of food. housing. and so forth. I think the Census Bureau should conduct a dual count. They should have done a count for purposes of reapportionment and a count for purposes of Federal disbursement. There has to be that significant distinction made. We are not here talking about cutting off Federal funding to areas that have high proportions of illegal aliens. We are talking about the fact. Mr. Chairman. that the elected Representatives in these districts will not be held accountable to illegal aliens on election day. However. there will be an incentive for them to maintain weak immigration laws and enforcement to distort their influence in Congress and in their States. The best interests of their voting constituents may further exacerbate the social and economic problems of nonvoting. undocumented workers and their families. I think this is a point that has not been brought out here. the accountability of the elected Member to a constituency of which a great many of them are not able to vote in favor of or against the policies he is representing.