SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Undocumented immigrants in California could be eligible for state assistance in buying a home under a bill the state Legislature sent to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday.
The proposal, which prompted contentious debate in the Legislature, would specify that people who meet all other requirements for a loan under a state program offering assistance to first-time homebuyers, should not be disqualified based on their immigration status. The Assembly gave it final approval in the Legislature in a vote that fell along party lines.
Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, a Democrat representing Fresno who authored the bill, said it was not about immigration policies but about fairness and addressing the housing crisis.
“AB 1840 is about providing an opportunity to hard-working, responsible people who dream of owning a home and passing that legacy to their children – a dream that we all have for all our families in California,” Arambula said in a statement. “And, that includes undocumented immigrants who have lived here for decades and pay their taxes.”