What You Need to Know Before We Dive In
🔥 California’s CAPI program is under federal investigation for providing benefits to undocumented immigrants.
🛡 The Trump Administration, led by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, is invoking Title 8 to subpoena records and potentially trigger civil or criminal action.
💸 The probe could have sweeping legal and insurance implications for state-funded programs and county-level departments.
By Samuel Lopez – USA Herald
[LOS ANGELES, CA] – In a stunning move likely to send shockwaves across state lines, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched a federal investigation into California’s long-criticized Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). The probe, unveiled Monday, zeroes in on allegations that undocumented immigrants may have received federal benefits—namely Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—to which they are not legally entitled.
This marks the first major legal offensive under President Trump’s latest immigration enforcement campaign and signals a broader crackdown on so-called “Sanctuary Cities.”
“Radical left politicians in California prioritize illegal aliens over our own citizens, including by giving illegal aliens access to cash benefits,” Noem declared in a fiery statement.
“The Trump Administration is working together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally.”
At the center of the investigation is the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Acting under the authority of Title 8 of the U.S. Code—typically reserved for enforcement of immigration and nationality laws—Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has issued a subpoena demanding documents from 2021 onward, including:
