Homeland Security Investigates CA Over Federal Benefits For Immigrants

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Trump Administration announced an investigation into California on Monday, accusing the state of giving federal benefits to illegal immigrants.

On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a subpoena to the state's Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, a program.

The agency said the program provides benefits "to aliens who are ineligible for Social Security benefits because of their immigration status."

In a Monday statement, Secretary Kristi Noem accused the state's "radical left politicians" of prioritizing "illegal aliens over our own citizens."

The investigation will begin in the Southland, where federal officials are requesting all records from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, which oversees the program.

While LA County will be the first to face scrutiny, Noem warned it won’t be the last Golden State region her department investigates.

“If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now," Noem said. "The gravy train is over. While this subpoena focuses only on Los Angeles County – it is just the beginning.”

Here is what the federal government is subpoenaing from LA County:

• Applicant’s Name and Date of Birth
• Copies of Applications
• Immigration Status
• Proof of Ineligibility for SSI from the Social Security Administration
• Affidavits in Support of the Application

The investigation in LA County aims to determine if those living in the country illegally received any Supplemental Security Income from the Social Security Administration between January 2021 to today.

The program under the federal microscope, referred to as CAPI, serves about 15,000 legal residents who do not meet the noncitizen criteria for SSI, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

That program is not "generally available to undocumented Californians," a California Department of Social Services official told the Los Angeles Times under the condition of anonymity.

“This is another example of the Trump administration overreaching and threatening the privacy of vulnerable Californians,” Benyamin Chao, the health and public benefits policy manager at the California Immigrant Policy Center, told the Times.

A professor of law at UC Davis scrutinized the subpoena for its alarmingly broad scope.

"If you’re a person who receives any benefits, perhaps lawfully, you’re going to hear about this. It’s part of an entire mosaic of fear that’s being created in immigrant communities,” Kevin R. Johnson told the Times.

The news comes on the heels of President Donald Trump's move to sign a memorandum last month to prevent undocumented citizens from receiving Social Security Act benefits.

That memorandum directed Homeland Security to make sure undocumented immigrants aren't getting money from Social Security programs.