WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Tuesday that would prevent migrants who are in the United States illegally from being counted when US congressional voting districts are next redrawn, triggering swift rebukes from Democrats and at least one promise of litigation.
It could also cause populous states with large immigrant contingents to lose seats in the 435-member US House of Representatives, including big left-leaning states like California - currently with 53 seats - and New York, with 27."Including these illegal aliens in the population of the state for the purpose of apportionment could result in the allocation of two or three more congressional seats than would otherwise be allocated," the memo said.
Tom Wolfe, senior counsel at the left-leaning Brennan Centre, said the memo was"destructive pointless."Proponents of citizens-only voting districts argue each vote should carry the same weight. If one district has far fewer eligible voters than another, they say, each vote there has more influence on election outcomes.
Dale Ho, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, vowed litigation, saying in a statement,"We'll see him in court, and win," referring to the president. 'ANTI-GRAVITY' Some see the order as mainly theatre - especially because it is unclear how Trump would gather the data necessary to identify - and exclude - people here illegally.
Trump has spent much of his presidency seeking to limit the number of migrants who illegally enter the United States.
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