California Senator’s Census Warning Rekindles Fight Over Non-Citizen Counts

Debate over whether the U.S. Census should include non-citizens resurfaced after California State Senator Christopher Cabaldon warned that excluding an estimated 1.5 million undocumented residents from the next count would force the state to redraw its political maps and, in his words, leave California with “no democracy left.” Cabaldon’s remarks triggered renewed criticism from Republican lawmakers. Rep. Warren Davidson argued that counting non-citizens distorts House representation, estimating California alone gained six to seven additional seats and claiming the 2020 Census gave Democrats 20-30 extra seats nationwide. He called for a new census that bases apportionment strictly on citizenship data. The dispute follows an earlier U.S. Supreme Court decision stating that the census may include a citizenship question, a ruling conservatives cite in pressing the Commerce Department to revise counting rules before the next decennial survey.