(Rightallegiance.com) – Faith Lersey, a longtime California resident, recently made a life-changing decision to leave the Golden State and move to South Carolina with her husband and four children. After generations of her family living in California, the rising costs of homeownership in the state became too burdensome. “The cost of owning a home in California was unattainable,” Lersey explained, prompting their relocation in May to become first-time homeowners.
Amidst this personal journey, California’s legislature is advancing a bill that has ignited significant controversy. The bill, AB 1840, proposes to offer up to $150,000 in first-time homeownership loans to illegal immigrants. If passed and signed into law, the bill would provide up to 20% of a home’s value or a maximum of $150,000 as down payment assistance through the California Dream for All Program.
Lersey expressed her frustration during an interview with Fox News Digital, stating, “That just, that just seems asinine to me. Why would you assist a population that is undocumented to attain homeownership in a place where citizens who, like me, had been in an area for a long time, a generational history, they are having enough trouble achieving that milestone?” She continued, “It just that really makes me want to question where is the motive coming from for that, whose interest is at heart there, and what is the long term play?”
Lersey’s decision to move was further validated when she realized that her new home in South Carolina was three times less expensive than the properties she and her husband had considered in California. The bill, which cleared the state Senate on Tuesday, would also mandate that the California Housing Finance Authority include illegal immigrants in its home purchase assistance program.
This initiative comes on the heels of the California Dream for All program, which ran out of funds just 11 days after its inception in June, benefiting 1,700 first-time homebuyers. The rapid depletion of funds has raised concerns, particularly as California faces billions of dollars in debt and a significant exodus of residents over the past four years due to the high cost of living.
Despite the financial strain and the ongoing debate, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to indicate whether he will sign the bill into law, with a decision deadline set for August 31. The bill’s passage occurs in the context of a national election where immigration is a hot-button issue, with the Trump campaign linking Vice President Kamala Harris to the Biden administration’s controversial border policies.