A bill that would have made it easier for some immigrants in California to qualify for food assistance was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month.
The bill would have removed a rule that requires the state to consider the income and resources of immigrant sponsors when applying for the California Food Assistance Program.
The rule requires the state to count a financial sponsor’s income when determining whether a sponsored immigrant qualifies for state-funded food assistance.
Supporters say that can make it harder for some immigrants to get benefits they’re otherwise eligible for. Jackie Mendelson with California Food4All says Newsom’s veto misses the point.
"What it really would have done is actually make the program more equitable by eliminating barriers that only immigrants have to face just because of their immigration status," Mendelson says.
Newsom says the bill would have created differences between the state program and federally funded CalFresh that could be “weaponized” by the Trump administration.
Mendelson says the veto comes as immigrants face uncertainty over new federal public charge rules, which are used to determine green card qualifications based on their use of public benefits.
Benyamin Chao with the California Immigrant Policy Center says Newsom’s veto, "Just reinforces that message from the Trump administration that if you’re not born here, you have to go through more red tape."
The new rules took effect last week, giving immigration officials more discretion to consider public benefits in some immigration cases.
Chao says he hopes the next governor will work to make the state’s food assistance program more equitable.