Sec. Noem Announces Investigation into California’s Cash Assistance for Immigrants

The Department of Homeland Security announced an investigation today into a California program which provides cash payments to migrants. 

The Trump administration announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, a state program that provides monthly cash benefits to aged, blind, and disabled non-citizens who are ineligible for Social Security benefits due to their immigration status.

The investigation began in Los Angeles, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles field office issuing a Title 8 subpoena to California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, the Department of Homeland Security said in a news release.

According to the department, the subpoena requests all records from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, the agency that administers the state program, to determine if ineligible immigrants received supplemental security income from the Social Security Administration over the last four years.

CAPI is a state program but it looks like the feds want to rule out the possibility that people getting CAPI are also being paid federal benefits they should not be eligible to receive.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said, “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.” She continued, “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.”

This all follows from President Trump’s signing of a memo last month to prevent Social Security benefits going to non-citizens and to investigate misuse of federal funds. Here’s a bit of what that said.

President Trump believes that taxpayer-funded benefits should be provided only to eligible persons and must not encourage or reward illegal immigration to the United States.

Policing Social Security Act fraud is critical because the Act contains not only traditional Social Security provided to older Americans, but also unemployment insurance, disability insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, TANF, and other programs.

The surge in illegal immigration caused by the previous Administration is siphoning dollars and essential services from American citizens while state and local budgets grow increasingly strained…

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) calculated that American taxpayers spend at least $182 billion annually to cover the costs incurred by the presence of 20 million illegal aliens and their children, which includes $66.4 billion in Federal expenses plus an additional $115.6 billion in state and local expenses.

In addition to CAPI, California also provides Medi-Cal benefits to everyone regardless of immigration status (so long as thy meet income eligibility requirements). The decision to expand Medi-Cal to all migrants has blown a big hole in the state budget. 

Newsom’s administration told lawmakers in March that it took out a $3.44 billion loan, the maximum allowed under state law, from the general fund to make payments for March. The additional $2.8 billion in state funding will also unlock matching federal money to cover costs already committed through June.

State officials this month said the situation is “unsustainable” and told lawmakers the state is finding ways to cut costs next year.

This is one reason why taxes are so high in California. Democrats always argue that migrants work and many pay taxes, which is true, but most Americans don’t even pay enough into Social Security to cover the cost of their eventual benefits. That’s why Social Security is once again on the verge of going broke. Migrants who arrive here as adults would never come close to matching the amount paid out if they were given Social Security benefits. 

This should be an easy win for the Trump administration. Stop the fraud in the system and save that money for Americans.