(WNY News Now) – Allegany, County – The following is a letter to the editor from Jackie Wilson, Allegany County Democratic Committee.
Dear Editor,
The email newsletter “Weekly Update from Congressman Nick Langworthy” dated Sunday
May 12, 2024 referenced a clip from a 2021 House Foreign Affairs Committee virtual
meeting featuring Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) that was taken out of context in a viral
retweet by Elon Musk in January 2024. While Musk is known for deliberately posting
offensive or provocative content on X, formerly known as Twitter, it should be concerning
to the 23rd District voters that Langworthy would resort to the same inaccurate,
incomplete and misleading tactics to cast doubt on the integrity of the census and the
redistricting process that often follows. Cherry-picking snippets of a broader discussion to
fan the flames of the current migrant crisis in New York City and garner support for the
Equal Representation Act (H.R. 7109) is reprehensible.
According to Congress.gov, the House Republican bill would require a citizenship question
on the decennial census, reporting on certain census statistics, and would modify
apportionment of Representatives to be based on US citizens instead of all individuals.
This is the same change that the Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to make on
the 2020 census before former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit
stating, “What the Trump Administration is requesting is not just alarming, it is an
unconstitutional attempt to disrupt an accurate Census count.”
The Constitution, often the very underpinnings of far Right rhetoric, mandates an “actual
Enumeration” or, more plainly, a census that must be taken every 10 years to count all
people—both citizens and noncitizens—living in the United States. According to
Census.gov, the data collected by the decennial census determine the number of seats each
state has in the House of Representatives is used to distribute hundreds of billions of
dollars in federal funds to local communities, and serves as the basis for fair political
representation.
So what is the issue here? How is the system that was designed to count and equally
represent all Americans “corroding the essence of American citizenship,” as Langworthy
insisted in his most recent newsletter? While many House Republicans have voiced fear
that including undocumented citizens in apportionment dilutes the votes and political
representation of Americans, FactCheck.org found that this population is “routinely undercounted for multiple reasons and therefore the effect is likely minimal on district appropriations.” Ariel Ruiz Soto, senior policy analyst for Migration Policy Institute (MPI) clarified, “Many of these immigrants are part of mixed-status households that include many US citizens who have critical needs and must be counted” for schooling and other services.
New York is not “rolling out the red carpet for illegal immigrants” as Langworthy would
have taxpayers believe. FactCheck.org dispelled recent rumors that misrepresented
immigrants’ eligibility for Social Security numbers and benefits. According to Julia Gelatt,
associate director of the US Immigration Policy Program at MPI, “People who cross the
border illegally who have not applied for asylum usually cannot get work authorization or
an SSN.” Most foreign-born people coming to the US are coming on student, farmwork, or
high-skilled work visas, though Gelatt clarified that it is legal to request asylum regardless
of how one arrived in the country.
New York is not alone in the migration crisis, more than 100 million individuals were
displaced globally in 2022 according to MPI Europe. Eurostat Database on Migration and
Asylum reports that fifteen percent of the EU population are non-citizens or citizens who
were born outside of the EU. To manage the increase in asylum-seekers, MPI Europe has
been developing sponsorship programs and pathways with host-community volunteers
that welcome, settle and integrate refugees.
MPI Europe and MPI Canada have shared their program models and have determined that
refugees more frequently successfully transition to autonomy when assisted planning
begins early in their refugee status. This includes setting realistic expectations, clear goals
and firm boundaries with host-community volunteers. Feeding, clothing and housing
these individuals must be part of the integration process. We cannot erase or count
around undocumented people. It’s xenophobic and only makes it more difficult for ALL of
us to move forward from this shared crisis. Compassion and stewardship shouldn’t be
weaponized, to use Langworthy’s own words, by “turning it into a political commodity.”
Jackie Wilson
Allegany County Democratic Committee
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