Trump probe into Calif. program for elderly, disabled legal immigrants attacks 'most vulnerable,' groups say
Earlier DU thread: Homeland Security subpoenas California's immigrant assistance program in latest crackdown on illegal immigration
________________________________________________
Source: NBC News
Trump probe into Calif. program for elderly, disabled legal immigrants attacks 'most vulnerable,' groups say
No federal funds go toward the state cash assistance program and undocumented immigrants are not eligible to participate, an immigration advocate said.
May 13, 2025, 6:40 PM EDT / Updated May 14, 2025, 8:02 AM EDT
By Nicole Acevedo
A federal investigation into a state program providing monthly cash benefits to elderly and disabled noncitizens legally present in the U.S. is raising alarms among immigrant rights groups in California, who say the probe unfairly attacks the community's "most vulnerable people" at a time when immigration authorities are working to deliver on President Donald Trump's campaign promise of mass deportations.
The Department of Homeland Security said Monday it has launched an investigation into the California Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants to see if ineligible undocumented immigrants received federal benefits from the Social Security Administration over the past four years.
But no federal funds go toward the state assistance program and undocumented immigrants are not eligible to participate, Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, or CHIRLA, told NBC News on Tuesday.
Salas is one of the immigration advocates who helped make the state cash assistance program a reality almost 30 years ago. She said the state program was established after Clinton-era welfare reforms excluded most noncitizens from receiving Supplemental Security Income, a federal benefit from the Social Security Administration that provides monthly payments to qualifying elderly and disabled people.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-probe-calif-program-elderly-disabled-legal-immigrants-attacks-vu-rcna206510
= new reply since forum marked as read
