Hundreds make calls in California to support bill expanding unemployment benefits to undocumented immigrants

Hundreds of people have been making calls to California lawmakers seeking to support SB 227, a bill that would allow undocumented workers to collect unemployment benefits throughout 2025.

The initiative, called Safety Net for All Workers, has been introduced by Los Angeles Senator Maria Elena Durazo and would provide $300 a week for up to 20 weeks to those dismissed between January 1 and December 21 of 2025.

According to La Opinion, the undocumented people currently working in the state contribute around $485 million to the unemployment system but don't get anything in return. "All Californians deserve to continue supporting their families when they are unwillingly unemployed. The urgency for a safety net for all has done nothing but grow," Senator Durazo said when supporting her bill.

"Our state, our local companies and our communities recover faster when all Californians get support to go through the changes in our climate and our economy," she added. It is estimated that about two million undocumented workers were excluded from benefits handed out by the federal government during the pandemic.

Back in 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 2847, a bipartisan law seeking to expand unemployment benefits and include undocumented workers, many of them who were among the "essential" ones during the Covid pandemic. Newsom said the bill needed more work to tackle operational issues.

Bills related to undocumented residents have been making the headlines in California lately. In late August, Governor Newsom vetoed a bill that would allow certain undocumented immigrants access low-cost loans for first-time homebuyers.

"Given the finite funding available for CalHFA programs, expanding program eligibility must be carefully considered within the broader context of the annual state budget to ensure we manage our resources effectively," said Newsom to justify his decision.

California is currently facing a $27.6-billion budget deficit for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, according to Newsweek. In response to the veto, Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, who sponsored the bill, expressed deep disappointment, noting that the bill had garnered wide support in the legislature.

The bill, titled Assembly Bill 1840, sought to clarify that undocumented residents could access the California Dream for All program, which offers no-interest loans of up to $150,000 for down payments and fees for eligible first-time homebuyers.

The state is also considering a proposal that would allow undocumented immigrants to participate in the California LifeLine program, which offers discounted phone services to low-income residents.

The California Public Utilities Commission is set to vote on September 26 to remove the requirement for a Social Security number, a change that was initially approved a decade ago but never implemented.

Proponents of the LifeLine expansion argue that it is a matter of fairness and public safety, as undocumented immigrants already contribute to the program through surcharges on their phone bills but are currently ineligible for benefits. "If an undocumented Californian falls on hard times, they should benefit from this program, just like every other Californian," said utilities commission President Alice Reynolds to Politico.

Conservatives, as expected, have already voiced their opposition. Republican State Sen. Brian Dahle expressed concern that newly arrived undocumented immigrants might access the program without having contributed to it.