Homeland Security subpoenas California’s immigrant assistance program in latest crackdown on illegal immigration

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Homeland Security subpoenas California’s immigrant assistance program in latest crackdown on ******** immigration

In its latest legal challenge, the Department of Homeland Security has subpoenaed California’s cash assistance program for immigrants. It is demanding a slew of records from Los Angeles County to determine if individuals in the United States illegally received payments stemming from the Social Security Administration, dating back to 2021.

The legal action centers on California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, or CAPI, providing cash assistance to “certain aged, blind, and disabled legal immigrants” ineligible for social security payments due to their immigration status. 

The pending investigation led by Los Angeles’ Homeland Security Investigations – an investigative arm of DHS – has sought the following records: 

• 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

Recipients of Los Angeles County’s CAPI program

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

who have been lawfully admitted into the U.S., paroled, granted conditional entry, or whose removal has been withheld. Candidates include Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. According to

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, the payments are designed for recipients who are ages 65 or over, blind, or disabled. 

According to the Department of Homeland Security, “more than 2 million ineligible ******** aliens received a Social Security Number in fiscal year 2024 alone.” 

The Public Policy Institute of California estimates

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, with just over half of all payments granted to those 65 years and older. That number includes about 15,000 legal residents who do not meet additional non-citizen criteria for social security payments. 

Last month, President Trump issued an

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

aimed at curbing incentives for individuals living illegally in the United States. The memo directs the secretary of Homeland Security to work with the secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services, the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. attorney general, “to ensure ineligible ******** aliens do not receive funds from Social Security programs and prioritize civil or criminal enforcement against states or localities for potential violations” of

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. 

In a statement, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accused “radical left politicians in California” of prioritizing migrants in the U.S. over American citizens by “giving ******** aliens access to cash benefits.” Noem vowed that the Trump Administration is working to “identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally.” 

“If you are an ******** 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.”

Nicole Sganga

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

Nicole Sganga is CBS News’ homeland security and justice correspondent. She is based in Washington, D.C. and reports for all shows and platforms.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Homeland #Security #subpoenas #Californias #immigrant #assistance #program #latest #crackdown #******** #immigration

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up