Replies

You could be right.If the wording seen above is,in fact,an exact quote from the Constitution then it seems that a Constitutional Amendment would be required...and such an amendment,I suspect,wouldn't stand a chance.

So the solution is to flush out the wetbacks,put them on a bus,build a wall worthy of the East Germans (but with a *much* different purpose) and pass laws providing for serious jail time and fines for anyone employing a wetback and for any person violating our citizenship/residency laws.

If the wording seen above is,in fact,an exact quote...

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.
U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 2. Which was ammended slightly in the 14th, Section 2. to read "... counting the whole number of persons in each State ..." instead of free persons (since slavery had been abolished.

That section does go on to include some wording about citizenship, but was was in regards to only males over the age of 21.

From Article 1 Section 2:

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the state of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

I too doubt that the founders would have considered illegal aliens would be appropriate for census purposes. However, the way around this is to have an amendment that says simply:

"Representatives shall be allotted by a count of citizens of the United States. Non citizens may be enumerated for other purposes, but not for the allocation of representatives."

Once passed, make sure the law authorizing the census makes it a felony to lie about being a citizen.