By John Dempsey, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) A new report says Illinois could lose at least one congressional seat after the upcoming census, because of President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The Chicago Tribune is quoting demographic experts who say that many immigrants afraid of deportation could sit out the 2020 census, which could cost Illinois both political clout and federal funding.
Brookings Institution Demographer William Frey tells the Tribune that immigrants make up about 7 percent of the Illinois population, with some on their way to becoming naturalized citizens, while others are here illegally.
The Tribune says the census is a count of the raw population, not a tally of eligible voters or citizens, and the numbers are used to determine the number of representatives each state holds in the U.S. House.
Illinois is already set to lose one congressional seat after the census because of population losses, and if immigrants don’t take part in the census the state could lose two seats. University of Illinois Chicago Political Scientist Dick Simpson tells the Tribune that fewer lawmakers could translate into fewer federal dollars for Illinois.
The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the Census Bureau to ask all households about citizenship when it conducts the 2020 census.
Read the entire Chicago Tribune story here.
@ 2018 WLS-AM News
