Attorney General Steve Marshall Testifies on Capitol Hill in Support of Alabama Census Lawsuit

(WASHINGTON) – Attorney General Steve Marshall defended Alabama’s lawsuit challenging
the federal government’s plan to include illegal aliens in the 2020 Census during a hearing of
the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Friday morning.
“Alabama is set to lose one of its seven congressional seats and one of its nine electoral votes – a
seat and a vote it would not lose if illegal aliens were excluded from the apportionment base,”
Attorney General Marshall told the congressional subcommittee. “Not only would this skewed
result rob the State of Alabama and its legal residents of their rightful share of representation,
but it plainly undermines the rule of law. If an individual’s presence in our country is in
violation of federal law, why should the states in which they reside benefit from their illegal
status?”
Attorney General Marshall further noted that the Census has previously included illegal aliens
and that the result has been an unlawful distribution of additional U.S. House seats and
electoral college votes to states with higher numbers of illegal aliens.
“The irony, of course, is that illegal aliens cannot vote; therefore, they are not the ones who gain
from being included in the apportionment base. In a state in which a large share of the
population cannot vote, those who do vote count more than those who live in states where a
larger share of population is made up of American citizens.”
Alabama is not alone in suffering a potential loss in federal representation if the 2020 Census
count includes illegal aliens. Ohio is also predicted to lose a U.S. House seat while Montana
would fail to gain a seat it would have otherwise acquired.
Attorney General Marshall and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, filed their lawsuit on May
21, 2018, challenging the U.S. Census Bureau’s counting of illegal aliens.
Click this link to watch Attorney General Marshall’s testimony to the subcommittee (@25:00)
Click this link for Attorney General Marshall’s prepared remarks to the subcommittee
Click this link for a copy of the lawsuit
501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov