The Republican House narrowly passed a bill excluding non-citizens from the U.S. census.

If enacted into law, the Equal Representation Act would close a loophole in the political system granting indirect representation to illegal immigrants. The bill passed 206-202 and is all but certain to fail in the Democrat-run Senate.

The polarized vote is a reflection of just how important it is for Joe Biden and Democrats to maintain an open border.

Vote to reform U.S. census

Under the status quo, non-citizens count toward the decennial census that is used to determine a state's number of seats in Congress. The census also determines how many votes the states get in the Electoral College.

Republicans say the current system unfairly rewards states with high illegal alien populations, which tend to lean Democrat. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the status quo creates incentives for blue states to ignore immigration law.

“We should not reward states and cities that violate federal immigration laws and maintain sanctuary policies with increased Congressional representation,” Johnson said.

President Trump tried to exclude non-citizens from the census during his presidency, but he was blocked by the Supreme Court.

The Fourteenth Amendment says that "persons" should be counted for purposes of apportionment, but North Carolina GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards, the lead sponsor of the Equal Representation Act, said the Fourteenth Amendment is ambiguous about whether "persons" includes non-citizens.

Democrats say excluding non-citizens would create fear in immigrant communities and discourage Hispanic households from participating in the census.

“It’s a bill that threatens fair and equal representation of immigrant communities,” Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (Ca.), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said.

Immigration-- a top issue

The actual number of illegal aliens living in the country is not known. While commonly estimated at 11 million, the figure is dated, and millions have crossed the border in the last four years alone under the Biden presidency.

The census issue is closely related to the question of voter fraud by illegal aliens. Democrats have dismissed the problem as a non-issue, despite the widespread absence of voter ID protections in many states and laws in some cities granting limited voting rights to non-citizens.

Biden described some illegal aliens as "model citizens" in a recent speech, reflecting the continued efforts of Democrats to bring non-citizens into the political process.

NEW: Joe Biden *mocks* immigration law and implies America should have open borders.

“Can you imagine a kid, two years old, saying, ‘Mom, don’t take me across the Rio Grande. It’s against the law.’ Give me a break.”pic.twitter.com/6QAqfIXc5S

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) May 6, 2024

Immigration is one of the top issues in the 2024 election cycle, owing in part to a spate of high-profile, violent crimes by foreign nationals.

President Trump has pledged to carry out mass deportations of illegal aliens if elected.