California Democrats approved a bill on Wednesday that allows undocumented immigrants to qualify for a lucrative housing loan program.
The bill allows illegal immigrants to participate in California’s Home Purchase Assistance Program, which offers qualifying first-time home buyers interest-free loans of up to $150,000.
The legislation passed in the state Assembly with a 53-18 vote in the state Assembly and with a 25-14 vote in the Senate, without the support of any Republicans.
According to the bill, applicants cannot be disqualified from receiving the loan based solely on their immigration status.
The state has already invested over half a billion dollars in the program, providing nearly 4,000 loans.
The legislation awaits the signature of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who may push off making a decision until after the upcoming election.
The bill was introduced by Democratic Assembly member Joaquin Arambula, who stated that the proposal aims to attract individuals with solid credit scores.
“For those who have a good credit score and qualify for a loan, we are saying that we want you to set roots here in our great state, but only if you qualify,” he remarked to the Los Angeles Times.
Republicans contended that the legislation will further encourage illegal immigration and harm Americans who are having a hard time affording homes in the state.
It’s a slap in the face to legal immigrants when we incentivize the breaking of our laws and the normalizing of being in this country unlawfully,” remarked Assembly member Bill Essayli (R).
“We need to close our border. This is a problem of our own making. We have made the borders wide open, millions of people are coming over and now the state of California is creating a huge incentive for those who came here illegally to come to California,” he added.
California democrats love illegal immigration so much they offer many incentives for them to come here.
Today, the Assembly just voted to give illegal immigrants free down payment assistance (up to $150k) to buy a house a new home. Thats on top of providing free health care and… pic.twitter.com/qGJ4OIcLCG
— Bill Essayli (@billessayli) August 29, 2024
“Does being a citizen still mean anything?” Essayli questioned in a tweet.
“I spoke in strong opposition to this backwards policy, and now Gavin Newsom will decide whether to sign it into law. I hope all California voters are watching what’s [happening] up here.”
Republican Assembly Leader James Gallagher argued that the legislation would exacerbate the border crisis.
“I didn’t know it was possible to make the border crisis and the housing crisis worse with just one vote, but Democrats found a way,” he commented.
“Giving taxpayer-funded housing subsidies to illegal immigrants will drive costs even higher and encourage more chaos at the border.”
On a national scale, the Biden-Harris administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is allocating hundreds of millions in American taxpayer funds to sanctuary cities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to assist in resettling migrants throughout the country.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the initiative on Wednesday.
Over $380 million in Shelter and Services Program (SSP) grants will be distributed to local and state governments, along with NGOs, that are providing essential services to migrants who have been freed from DHS custody and still waiting for their immigration court dates.
