The Trump administration is cracking down on California's use of cash incentives to encourage illegal immigration, with Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem declaring, "the gravy train is over."
The administration has launched an investigation into California's Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), which provides monthly cash benefits for aliens who are ineligible from receiving Social Security under federal law.
The program is "100% state-funded," according to California's website, but the DHS is probing whether illegal aliens in the state have improperly received federal dollars.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has subpoenaed public records from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, which administers the cash program.
“Radical left politicians in California prioritize illegal aliens over our own citizens, including by giving illegal aliens access to cash benefits,” Noem said in a statement issued by DHS. “The Trump Administration is working together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally."
“If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over. While this subpoena focuses only on Los Angeles County, it is just the beginning.”
Noem cited President Trump's April executive order to prevent illegal aliens from defrauding Social Security.
Illegal aliens are not generally allowed to receive Social Security benefits under federal law, but an estimated 75% of them possess fake or stolen Social Security numbers, and some states like California allow aliens to legally access various forms of public benefits.
Under far-left Governor Gavin Newsom (D), California started allowing illegal aliens to enroll in Medi-Cal, which is California's name for Medicaid. California has the highest immigrant population of any U.S. state; an estimated 10% of people in Los Angeles County are illegal residents.
CAPI was set up as a state-level alternative to Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which provides benefits for poor people who are older than 65, blind, or disabled. Most non-citizens cannot receive SSI under President Bill Clinton's 1996 welfare reform, which became law at a more politically moderate time, before Democrats embraced illegal immigration for political purposes.
President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration has led to a precipitous decline in border crossings, which hit a record low in March.
The House Republicans' new tax plan, released Monday, includes a 5% tax on remittances to discourage illegal immigration.
