(Headline USA) California Democrats were set to pass a bill this week that would help illegal immigrants secure first-time home-buyer loans, Politico reported.
The bill, introduced by state Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, would grant certain illegals eligibility to apply to the state’s Dream for All home loan program, which awards first-time home-buyers up to 20% in down-payment assistance through a lottery system. The program is currently available only to low- and middle-income Californians, and it caps out at $150,000 in downpayment assistance.
“This bill would specify that an applicant who meets all other requirements for a loan under the program including, but not limited to, any requirements imposed on the agency in administering the program by specified entities, and who is otherwise eligible under applicable federal and state law, shall not be disqualified solely based on the applicant’s immigration status,” said the legislation.
To be eligible for the program, applicants must provide a taxpayer ID number or a Social Security number.
“We simply wanted to be as inclusive as possible within our policies so that all who are paying taxes here in our state were able to qualify,” Arambula said earlier this year.
California Republicans have blasted the bill as “out of touch” and immoral.
“California’s budget deficit continues to grow and Democratic lawmakers are so out of touch with everyday Californians that they are quite literally taking money away from law-abiding citizens, their own constituents, and handing it over as a free gift to people who broke federal law to cross the border illegally,” state Sen. Brian Jones said in a statement.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has not indicated whether he will sign the bill if it passes through the Democrat-controlled state legislature.
If he does, the bill could have an impact on the 2024 election, since illegal immigration is a top issue for most voters.
In a statement, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump highlighted the bill, calling it a “fundamentally unfair but typical Democrat policy.”
