Immigration

‘Gravy Train Is Over’: Trump DHS Probing California For Handing Federal Freebies To Illegal Migrants

(Photo via Drei Kubik / Unsplash)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday that it is launching an investigation into California for allegedly handing out federal benefits to illegal migrants.

DHS issued a Title 8 subpoena into the state’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), which the agency alleges provides benefits to illegal immigrants who are ineligible for Social Security. The subpoena requested records from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) to identify ineligible individuals who received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the Social Security Administration since January 2021.

“Radical left politicians in California prioritize illegal aliens over our own citizens, including by giving illegal aliens access to cash benefits,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement. “The Trump Administration is working together 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 illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over.”

More than 2 million illegal aliens unlawfully received social security numbers under the Biden administration in 2024 alone, according to DHS.

The CAPI program is 100% state-funded and benefits are “not generally available to undocumented Californians,” a spokesperson from the DPSS wrote in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Currently, approximately 9,700 individuals are receiving CAPI benefits in Los Angeles County, receiving an average of $1,077 per month in support,” DPPS said in a Tuesday statement. “Last year, the County received $108,560,000 in State funding to administer CAPI.”

DPSS noted in its statement that “no federal funding is utilized for CAPI.”

Los Angeles County, which administers the program on behalf of the state, did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

California allocates billions in state funds to programs that many view as incentivizing illegal immigration into the country, such as Medi-Cal health benefits, which are projected to cost the state $8.4 billion for fiscal year 2024-2025.

The DHS investigation follows President Donald Trump’s April 15 memorandum, which directed agencies to crack down on illegal aliens from receiving social security benefits, and a Feb. 15 executive order to end the use of taxpayer dollars to fund benefits for illegal migrants.

In line with these directives, the Department of Labor instructed governors across the nation last month to take measures to prevent illegal migrants from claiming unemployment benefits or risk losing federal grants.

Noem also shared last month that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is working to identify illegal immigrants who unlawfully hold U.S. Social Security numbers, and cancel the Social Security numbers of thousands of illegal migrants who have criminal records or were on the FBI’s terror watchlist.