In its latest legal challenge, the Department of Homeland Security has subpoenaed California’s cash assistance program for immigrants. It is demanding a slew of records from Los Angeles County to determine if individuals in the United States illegally received payments stemming from the Social Security Administration, dating back to 2021.
The legal action centers on California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, or CAPI, providing cash assistance to “certain aged, blind, and disabled legal immigrants” ineligible for social security payments due to their immigration status.
The pending investigation led by Los Angeles’ Homeland Security Investigations – an investigative arm of DHS – has sought the following records:
- Applicant’s Name and Date of Birth
- Copies of Applications
- Immigration Status
- Proof of Ineligibility for SSI from the Social Security Administration
- Affidavits in Support of the Application
Recipients of Los Angeles County’s CAPI program must be non-citizens who have been lawfully admitted into the U.S., paroled, granted conditional entry, or whose removal has been withheld. Candidates include Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. According to Los Angeles County’s website, the payments are designed for recipients who are ages 65 or over, blind, or disabled.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, “more than 2 million ineligible illegal aliens received a Social Security Number in fiscal year 2024 alone.”
The Public Policy Institute of California estimates that about 1.1 million people receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or State Supplementary Payment (SSP) monthly grants, with just over half of all payments granted to those 65 years and older. That number includes about 15,000 legal residents who do not meet additional non-citizen criteria for social security payments.
Last month, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at curbing incentives for individuals living illegally in the United States. The memo directs the secretary of Homeland Security to work with the secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services, the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. attorney general, “to ensure ineligible illegal aliens do not receive funds from Social Security programs and prioritize civil or criminal enforcement against states or localities for potential violations” of federal law.
In a statement, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accused “radical left politicians in California” of prioritizing migrants in the U.S. over American citizens by “giving illegal aliens access to cash benefits.” Noem vowed that the Trump Administration is working 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,” Noem said. “The gravy train is over. While this subpoena focuses only on Los Angeles County – it is just the beginning.”
Nicole Sganga is CBS News’ homeland security and justice correspondent. She is based in Washington, D.C. and reports for all shows and platforms.
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