New Trump order bars benefits for undocumented immigrants. How will it affect California?
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump Wednesday night aims to ensure federal tax dollars are “not used to incentivize or support illegal immigration.”
Specifically, it directs federal agencies to identify and halt any benefits paid to undocumented immigrants.
Most undocumented immigrants are already ineligible for federal benefits including Social Security and food benefits for low-income families, which the order acknowledges. Some immigrants who are granted parole, or a temporary legal status, are able to access some benefits including Medicaid for a period of time.
“It doesn’t appear that this order will have much of an impact besides being a political statement,” said Kevin Johnson, a professor at UC Davis Law School.
Johnson said it aligns with other actions Trump has taken on immigration policy that are meant to have a chilling effect on immigrant communities.
“It may be the case that many immigrants, including lawful immigrants, may feel that they shouldn’t access any benefits programs for the chance of ending up getting deported by the Trump administration,” he said.
In California, low-income undocumented people are eligible for Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for the poor. While Medi-Cal is mostly funded with federal dollars, state funds are used to subsidize the undocumented population, which costs $9.5 billion annually, according to the Department of Finance.
Immigrant advocates are still analyzing the full extent of the order, but Benyamin Chao, health and public benefits policy manager with the California Immigrant Policy Center, agreed it is likely meant as a “scare tactic.”
He noted the state has laws to shield information, including immigration status, when determining whether someone is eligible.
“In reality, (the order) doesn’t change eligibility criteria for federally funded benefit programs and does not change how any federally funded programs are currently administered,” Chao said. “Besides the fear created by this executive order, I don’t see this order as a threat to federal funding for Medi-Cal.”
The order also directs federal agencies to “enhance” verification of beneficiaries’ immigration status and ensure that federal funds are not used to “facilitate the subsidization or promotion of illegal immigration, or abet so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies.”
It’s not immediately clear how that could impact federal funds to state and local governments.
California’s sanctuary state law was signed in 2017 and prevents state and local governments from expending resources to assist federal agents with immigration enforcement. It was upheld by the courts at the tail end of Trump’s first term.
But the president’s aggressive immigration policies and enforcement have emboldened Republican state lawmakers to target the law and other protections for undocumented people.
Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones is planning to announce legislation to “overhaul” the sanctuary law by requiring law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for undocumented people convicted of violent crimes.
Other Republicans have introduced similar measures, including one to ensure $25 million in legal aid recently approved by the legislature would not be spent defending immigrants convicted of serious or violent felonies.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have introduced bills to further curb police cooperation with immigration agents and to require schools to notify students, faculty and parents if agents are on-campus.
This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 11:08 AM with the headline "New Trump order bars benefits for undocumented immigrants. How will it affect California?."
