A majority of California voters support ending taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants, according to a new poll.
Why It Matters
The results come just weeks after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to roll back state-funded health coverage for undocumented residents after promising universal health care for all, regardless of immigration status.
California has been offering Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, to everyone who qualifies in the state — regardless of immigration status — since January 2024.
What To Know
On Wednesday, Newsom announced a new budget plan that seeks to cut back on health care benefits for undocumented immigrants. The move sparked backlash from other members of his party, with one Democrat calling the decision “harmful and shortsighted,” but the latest data suggests that Newsom’s U-turn appears to align with voter sentiment.
A new Napolitan News/RMG Research poll, conducted between February 10–12 among 800 registered California voters, found that 60 percent of Californians think illegal immigrants living in America should not be provided with taxpayer funded health care.
The poll also found that 72 percent believe illegal immigration is harmful to the country. The poll had a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points.RMG Research is a a Republican-leaning pollster.
It comes after a POLITICO-UC Berkeley Citrin Center survey, conducted April 1–14 among 1,025 registered voters and 718 influencers, found that only 21 percent of California voters support continuing Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants even if it means cutting other programs.
Another 32 percent back the program but want legal residents prioritized if cuts are needed. Meanwhile, 31 percent say the state should never have extended Medicaid to undocumented immigrants, and 17 percent support partially or fully reversing the policy.
Newsom said his new proposal is aimed at helping close California’s budget gap, which has ballooned to a multibillion-dollar shortfall. He attributed the deficit to President Donald Trump‘s tariff policies and rising costs tied to increased enrollment in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program.
According to fact sheets released by Newsom’s office ahead of the proposal’s formal presentation, his 2025-26 budget would freeze enrollment in full-scope Medi-Cal for undocumented adults starting in 2026. The freeze would apply only to new applicants age 19 and older. Current enrollees would remain covered, and the freeze would not affect those on limited-benefit plans, such as those covering emergency or pregnancy-related services.
In addition, the proposal includes a new $100 monthly premium for adults 19 and older with what the state calls “unsatisfactory immigration status”—a category that includes undocumented immigrants as well as some with legal status who are ineligible for federally funded Medicaid. These premiums would begin in 2027.
Newsom’s office described the changes as “corrective action” in response to a projected $16 billion revenue shortfall, again pointing to Trump’s “pendulum swings on tariffs” and the surging cost of the Medi-Cal expansion.
“California is under assault,” Newsom said, blaming Trump for undermining economic growth. “The United States of America, in many respects, is under assault because we have a president that’s been reckless in terms of assaulting growth engines.”
But the proposal has come under fire. Carlos Alarcon, a health and public benefits analyst with the California Immigrant Policy Center, told CBS: “The governor should keep his commitment — we’ll be very disappointed if we see cuts and rollbacks. When times get hard, it’s always our marginalized and underserved communities that lose out.”
And in a statement, state Senator María Elena Durazo said, “Rolling back this progress would be a harmful and shortsighted decision.”
Newsom denied this week that his administration was “cutting or rolling back” the program, saying that, “We’re just capping it, particularly for those without documentation.”
In recent weeks, Newsom, who is believed to be a contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential election, has shifted his rhetoric toward the political center—and in some cases, to the right.
In a recent interview, Newsom expressed ambivalence about a presidential bid, telling the Los Angeles Times: “I have to have a burning why, and I have to have a compelling vision that distinguishes myself from anybody else. Without that, without both…I don’t deserve to even be in the conversation.”
What People Are Saying
Democratic strategist Christy Setzer told Newsweek: “Few people have blown through goodwill with Democrats like Gavin Newsom.”
Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, a Democrat, this week wrote on X: “Immigrants aren’t making health care more expensive – Republicans are. Trans people aren’t making health care more expensive – Republicans are. Poor people aren’t making health care more expensive – Republicans are.”
Gerald Posner, an investigative journalist, this week wrote on X: “Wasn’t this always simply math? How was it possible that California didn’t know that giving free health care to all low income residents – regardless of immigration status – would bust the budget? Newsom belatedly is trying to fix it. Good luck with that”
What Happens Next
Newsom has proposed freezing Medi-Cal for undocumented adults starting in 2026
The post Californians Back Cutting Health Care For Illegal Migrants: Poll appeared first on Newsweek.
