Deep blue California has barred illegal immigrants with felony convictions from receiving taxpayer-funded legal aid in immigration cases, sparking outrage from some activists in the state.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the measure as part of his 2025 budget, emphasizing in his Feb. 7 signed note to the state Senate that no taxpayer money in the budget should support “immigration-related legal services for noncitizens convicted of serious or violent felonies.” The change is set to take effect starting in 2026 and will be the first change regarding who is eligible for California’s Equal Access Fund since the program’s creation in 1999, The Latin Times reported.
Over 70 organizations in June issued public statements and sent letters to Newsom and state lawmakers demanding a reversal, CalMatters reported.
“This prohibition would have a devastating impact on low-income Californians seeking immigration legal assistance, likely stoking fear and creating a chilling effect on client communities in need of vital legal services,” Doan Nguyen, the California State Bar’s director of the Office of Access & Inclusion, told CalMatters in June.
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Author: Ray Hilbrich
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