California Noncitizen Benefits Report
New Investigation Finds California Spent $11 Billion on Noncitizen Benefits Last Year
Anonymous
A City Journal investigation by Christopher Rufo says California spent at least $11 billion in the last fiscal year on benefits available to undocumented immigrants, including health care, food assistance, housing support, education, tax credits and low-cost auto insurance. Based on visits to four Southern California public-services offices, the report found that eligibility varies by program: some benefits are available to noncitizens who meet specific criteria, while others can be provided on behalf of U.S.-born children. Rufo describes the programs as a “shadow welfare system” and estimates that a hypothetical family could receive services worth more than $100,000 annually. The articles repeat the report’s findings but do not provide an independent accounting of the spending or a response from state officials.
Key Points
1
The City Journal article says California’s overall welfare system exceeds $180 billion a year and that the state imposes the nation’s highest tax rates to sustain it.
2
A Glendale welfare officer described CAPI, a state-funded alternative to Supplemental Security Income, as assistance for low-income noncitizens who are elderly or disabled, adding: “If [you are] a citizen, you cannot get CAPI. I don’t care about legal or not. Not being [a] citizen [is the key].”
3
A Los Angeles welfare officer said CalWORKs assistance in the example discussed would be paid for the U.S.-born child, not the undocumented parent: “she only gets money for the child, and not for her.”
4
The articles say California’s subsidized auto-insurance program is available regardless of immigration status; the City Journal piece frames it as a way for drivers to obtain insurance even if they lack legal status.
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