California undocumented seniors could get cash assistance. Why Newsom vetoed past attempt

A California lawmaker has reintroduced legislation to offer undocumented seniors cash assistance when they can no longer work, a proposal identical to one Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed four months ago.

The push is again spearheaded by Assemblyman Juan Carrillo, D-Palmdale, who introduced Assembly Bill 2415 earlier this month. If passed, the legislation would offer around $1,500 per month to undocumented individuals who are blind, disabled or older than 65.

Carrillo, who immigrated from the Guadalajara, Mexico at 15, called the issue “personal.” He spent years working without a social security number, yet still paid federal and state taxes. Many undocumented aging workers do the same, but lack an economic safety net when they stop working.

About 165,000 undocumented workers in California were age 55 or older in 2019, according to the UC Merced Community and Labor Center.

Those workers end up contributing to the Social Security system, which they will not benefit from when they retire.

Undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $3.7 billion in state and local taxes in 2019, according to USC’s California Immigrant Data Portal.

“It‘s just fair to give them back a little bit of the contributions they made to the state,” Carrillo said.

Monthly cash assistance would be provided through a state-funded program that helps people who are ineligible for Social Security benefits based on immigration status. But even then, the program has requirements on which noncitizens qualify for the assistance.

The bill would eliminate an eligibility requirement to apply for Social Security which has historically been a barrier for some undocumented residents. Carrillo said this legislation is needed given the lack of immigration reform, a feat the federal government has tried to accomplish on a national level for decades.

“If we had an immigration reform in place, we wouldn’t be having these conversations,” Carrillo said.

Last fall, an identical bill overwhelmingly passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Newsom. In his veto statement, Newsom cited the proposed expansion’s $180 million annual cost, as estimated by the California Department of Social Services.

He also pointed to recent steps his administration has taken to help undocumented residents, such as the expansion of Medi-Cal eligibility and committing to offering food assistance to undocumented residents over 55. The Medi-Cal expansion is expected to cost $4.8 billion for the next two years, and $3.7 billion annually following 2025.

“While I appreciate the author’s goal to expand CAPI (Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants) eligibility regardless of immigration status, enacting this policy without providing funding would not be prudent nor would it meet its intended purpose,” Newsom said in the October veto message.

This year’s bill might see a similar fate given the state’s projected budget deficit of $73 billion.

Still, advocates are hopeful. They argue the legislation is vital to an aging workforce who have paid their state taxes through the years and should now reap the benefits.

“We have to make hard choices, but why do we keep making hard choices against the very people who serve this country and the state and have nothing?” said Angelica Salas, executive director of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

Carrillo acknowledged the budget situation, saying his goal is bring the bill to Newsom’s desk once again. He believes putting the policy in place would be the first step to allocating future funding.