I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker. while at first blush. the idea of not counting illegal aliens in the census may seem logical. there are some fundamental legal and policy reasons why such a restriction is not a good idea. First and foremost. it is highly likely that such a limitation is unconstitutional. Section 2 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution reads in part: "Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers. counting the whole number of persons in each State * * ." This language had led the Department of Justice to take the position that the census cannot make a distinction between inhabitants who are legally present in the United States and those who are not.
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illegal aliens