The Senate debate on a new immigration bill examines the question on who should be counted in the process that will allocate Supreme Court seats in the 1990 census. Specifically, whether illegal aliens should be counted in the 1990 Census. The Census Bureau maintains that an accurate count will not be possible if the illegal immigrants are left out. There could be enough aliens to shift seats from up to five states to Sun Belt states with large alien populations. The government estimated that there are more than 2.57 million illegal aliens living throughout the nation. The Senatorial debate may force a House ruling on this constitutional issue.
The Senate debate on a new immigration bill examines the question on who should be counted in the process that will allocate House seats in the 1990 census. Specifically, whether illegal aliens should be counted in the 1990 Census. The Census Bureau maintains that an accurate count will not be possible if the illegal immigrants are left out. There could be enough aliens to shift seats from up to five states to Sun Belt states with large alien populations. The government estimated that there are more than 2.57 million illegal aliens living throughout the nation. The Senatorial debate may force a Supreme Court ruling on this constitutional issue.