California has better approach to health care for undocumented than Trump | Opinion

Too generous, unaffordable, not enough and not a wise use of taxpayer money.

Those arguments about California expanding full-scope Medi-Cal coverage to the state’s 1.6 million undocumented residents will be blasted loud and clear in the upcoming days in Sacramento and Washington as lawmakers decide how to help or harm a vulnerable population.

In Sacramento, Gov. Gavin Newsom has released his May budget revision which includes a proposal to pause Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented adults and $100 premiums for existing patients with an “unsatisfactory” immigration status. This move comes as the governor deals with an expected $12 billion shortfall for the new fiscal year.

The governor’s proposal, which must still be debated and voted on by state lawmakers, would save $5 billion.

In Washington, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed, along party lines, a budget bill that would cut federal Medicaid spending by $715 billion over the next 10 years, and take away health insurance from at least 8.6 million in 2034. Those figures come from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

This comes as the Republican-led Congress tries to meet President Donald Trump’s goal of trimming $2 trillion in spending over the next 10 years to support a $4.5 trillion tax cut that would primarily benefit the ultra rich.

The committee’s budget bill would kick 10.3 million people off of Medicaid coverage by 2024 and leave 7.6 million uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Neither approach fully protects the health of the country’s estimated 11 million undocumented residents — individuals who are vital to the economy and their communities. It’s easy to understand why the immigrant community and their supporters are worried.

To understand the gulf between the state and federal government’s approach to health care for the undocumented, you only have to see their responses to the proposed changes.

“No state will continue to do more than the state of California by a long shot, and that’s a point of pride,” said Newsom of providing health care to undocumented immigrants. “We’re not cutting or rolling back ... we’re going to freeze enrollment.”

“If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “The gravy train is over.”

Noem, referring to her department’s investigation over alleged payments of cash benefits to undocumented immigrants, fails to realize that there is no gravy train for undocumented individuals. On the flip side, the California Budget and Policy Center estimates that undocumented residents in the state contribute nearly $8.5 billion in state and local taxes.

Nationally, undocumented workers contributed $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes in 2022, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. And this group is not eligible for Social Security benefits.

We applaud the governor for standing up for the undocumented community, although there will be some pain because of the $100 premiums and the pause on new sign-ups.

Trump looks to punish the undocumented

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to look for more ways to punish the undocumented community.

While his vowed “greatest deportation in history” has yet to reach historic levels, his administration has deported legal residents to overseas prisons, eliminated legal aid for children facing hearings in federal immigration courts, restricted refugee admissions and promoted a $1,000 “exit bonus” and free flights home for undocumented residents who self-deport.

“So to all illegal aliens: Book your free flight right now. We want you out of America,” Trump said in a video from the Oval Office last Friday. “But if you’re really good, we’re going to try to help you get back in.”

Trump has already broken many long-held principles in getting Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Postal Service data to track down an estimated 11 million undocumented residents.

Thus far, the deportation effort has been mixed: Immigration and Customs Enforcement data shows that about 140,000 people were deported this year through March. Despite a vow by Trump to focus on those with criminal records, data indicates that more than half of those in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention have no criminal charges or convictions.

Now, Trump wants to take away their health care and penalize states that see the benefit of health care for the undocumented.

This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 10:03 AM.