June 30, 2025
The Spending Plan Makes Modest Increases in Safety and Security Programs for Immigrant Communities
Los Angeles (June 30, 2025) – Today, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature finalized the state budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 that would cut access to Medi-Cal for immigrants with an enrollment freeze and new monthly premiums that will likely make the program unaffordable to many struggling families. The spending plan also makes modest increases in funding for safety and security programs for immigrant communities who are facing unprecedented attacks from the federal government.
The California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) today issued the following statement on the state budget:
“In light of the militarized mass immigration raids and arrests causing fear and chaos across California, we are disappointed that the governor and the leadership in the Legislature chose to adopt a state budget that makes our communities even more vulnerable,” said CIPC Executive Director Masih Fouladi. “The budget includes discriminatory policies that will literally freeze immigrants out of our health care system with no new enrollments in Medi-Cal allowed for certain immigrants and a new monthly premium required only for certain immigrant Californians.
“At a time when federal agents have arrested over 1,618 Californians across the state – separating families, violating constitutional rights and terrorizing neighborhoods – this budget also disappointingly adds new restrictions prohibiting legal aid organizations from assisting Californians facing deportation based on prior contact with the justice system.
“While the budget includes a $10 million increase for One California and a $10 million increase for the Children’s Holistic Immigration Representation Project (CHIRP), additional funding for immigration legal services is urgently needed to defend and protect people at risk of deportation.
“We are heartened that the budget includes $7.5 million in funding for the Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) Initiative, which has been a successful tool for economic inclusion and empowerment. Immigrants are a major reason why California is the fourth largest economy in the world. This funding will help trusted community-based organizations across the state provide much-needed training, technical assistance, and microgrants to immigrant entrepreneurs.
“CIPC will continue to work with our partners to urge the legislature to support immigrant Califonians, regardless of immigration status. We will continue to advocate for a health care system that doesn’t discriminate against immigrant families, and to ensure that people who are caught in Trump’s militarized immigration raids have the resources they need to remain united with their families, schools, workplaces and communities. In this time, we need more than speeches and statements of outrage, we need state leadership that upholds our values by providing immigrant communities with the resources they need to remain safe, healthy and thriving in the Golden State.”
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