i202 Fall 2009 School of Information, UC Berkeley

Are people who live in a country without permission actually people? This question, and a host of other headscratchers, are being raised by a house bill sponsored by David Vitter, R-La., and Bob Bennett, R-Utah that proposes amending 2010 census to include immigration status. This can have a big impact on population-dependent congressional apportionment, especially in immigrant-heavy states like California and Flordia.

The benefits to passing this legislation aren't discussed in the article, perhaps because they're already spelled out in bumper stickers on large trucks on suburban and rural roads across America. It's not all roses and sunshine, however. 400 million existing forms would need to be reprinted, and it is suggested that minorities will be even less likely to be counted accurately if they are forced to divulge their citizenship status.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4E6eAhJiEtJPh2FfoGg9F...