We have another few years before the 2030 census, but there are a number of problems to address with it. Among the biggest is the issue of illegal immigrants and temporary status holders being counted within it. The census dictates our congressional representation and has an impact on actual native-born Americans. For years now, as well, the census has been abused and overrun to the point that the representation is not even fair anymore.

Counting illegals and temporary status holders in the census, which determines our representation, is a slap in the face to real Americans. We work hard and make our voices heard for who we want in Congress. There is no universe in which TPS holder Fatima from Mogadishu has any influence in American politics, much less in the census count. Yet, that is what we have allowed to happen for decades.

We have counted anyone and everyone in the census, and now, our political sphere has been warped beyond its critical mass. We have hit a point where something needs to be fixed, rapidly, and no one really wants to address it. Except, that is, the Trump Administration. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick signed a new proposed rule that would change residency rules used for congressional apportionment in the 2030 census.

In that order, the administration wants illegal aliens, and every other foreign citizen "without permanent resident status," not counted. Steven Camarota with the Center for Immigration Studies says this brings forward the question people have been asking themselves for some years now.

"Does that make sense to have congressional districts that represent non-citizens...that is the big question," he says.

In a word, no, that makes virtually zero sense. America was built by Americans and is only for true Americans. Not one soul from India, Somalia, or any other flailing nation should have any remote influence in how we operate. Yet, they hold it. Because politicians have sat on their hands doing nothing for years.

But now, finally, the Trump administration is taking a swing at it. Of course, the Democrats are not pleased about it. Not for any reason they say in front of cameras. They will plead about how this hurts families or whatever sob story they pitch that day. But in reality, they only care about being faced with the sobering reality of not mattering once they lose their political power.

"The reason it tends to help Democrats...it takes much fewer voters to win in districts comprised heavily of noncitizens," says Camarota. "So, there is a kind of seeming violation of one man one vote...the political distortion that comes from counting everyone."

Now while this idea would help clean up the representation a little bit, there would be states who lose seats because they have large illegal populations. Texas is one of those places, with the state benefitting from additional seats due to it. That would change in this proposal, but the gains internally would counter the loss.

"Within Texas, the areas where the citizens live would gain at the expense of areas that have high noncitizen populations," Camarota says.

But because this is a Trump Administration rule, it is almost certain to be challenged or blocked by a judge with a name so foreign, you could only write it in an SNL comedy sketch.

So, Camarota adds, while Congress can take some action, the final say will ultimately lie with the Supreme Court.

San Antonio's First News