California lawmakers could follow Michigan’s lead and provide housing assistance to immigrants through legislation moving through the state assembly.

Assembly Bill 1840, sponsored by Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, would rework the California Dream for All Program to expand eligibility and allow illegal immigrants to borrow up to $150,000 in government backed loans, TND reports.

The program currently helps middle-income buyers qualify for home purchases and authorizes the California Housing Finance Agency to offer loans for affordable housing. AB 1840, which received multiple hearings in the Senate this week, would rename the program the Home Purchase Assistance Program with new conditions.

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“This bill would specify that an applicant who meets all other requirements for a loan under the program … and who is otherwise eligible under applicable federal and state law, shall not be disqualified solely based on the applicant’s immigration status,” the bill reads.

“California’s budget deficit continues to grow and Democratic lawmakers are so out of touch with everyday Californians that they are quite literally taking money away from law-abiding citizens, their own constituents, and handing it over as a free gift to people who broke federal law to cross the border illegally,” Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle told The Daily Caller.

Others who spoke to the news site had a similar take.

“Once again, California has chosen to prioritize illegal immigration and fiscal irresponsibility over the needs of its citizens, all while facing a $60 billion deficit that will ultimately be passed onto taxpayers,” San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond said in a statement.

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“California is in dire financial straits, yet lawmakers continue to prioritize programs that incentivize illegal immigration and strain local resources,” Desmond wrote. “Expanding this program to include illegal immigrants is not just another handout — it’s a massive overreach that shifts the financial burden onto law-abiding taxpayers.”

AB 1840 is generating the same response from Republicans as a Newcomer Rental Subsidy program signed into law by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Last year, Democrats who control the legislature approved legislation that automatically deposits $50 million a year in annual tax revenues into the fund that feeds the program.

While the $500 per month rental subsidies are intended for “asylum seekers,” Republicans have requested an audit over questions about eligibility requirements and loopholes to circumvent them. Republicans note 97% of asylum claims in fiscal year 2023 involved illegal immigrants who filed defensive claims to avoid deportation.

“On its face, this appears to be a wide-open door for people who are in the country illegally completely bypassing the verification to access the limited funds,” Republicans wrote in a letter to the Whitmer administration.

Unlike Michigan, where there’s roughly 102,700 in the country illegally, California has about 2 million illegal immigrants, a massive budget deficit, rampant homelessness, and a sky-high real estate market that makes homeownership impossible for many.

Arambula, the bill’s sponsor, contends “AB 1840 is about providing an opportunity for home ownership, which we know allows families to secure financial security and stability.

“The ability to do this strengthens local economies, and that benefits all people who call California home,” he said.

The LA Times notes the $300 million California Dream for All program first opened in May 2023 and the money ran out in less than two weeks, resulting in interest free loans to 2,300 middle and lower-income homebuyers. State officials tightened eligibility requirements to first-generation home buyers and instituted a lottery to address the high demand.

“Many legal California residents can’t afford a home in their own state,” state Sen. Brian Jones told The Daily Caller.

“Instead of addressing the housing crisis, radical Democrat lawmakers want to help illegal immigrants buy houses with the gift of taxpayer funds,” he said. “With a $62 billion budget deficit, we need to focus on preserving essential government functions, not unfair political spending for those here illegally.”

AB 1840 cleared the California Assembly in May, and was passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee in mid-August. If approved by the full Senate, the legislation would head to Gov. Gavin Newsom, though it’s unclear whether he will sign the measure into law.

He vetoed similar efforts to expand eligibility for the state’s Cash Assistance Program for the Aged, Blind and Disabled Legal Immigrants to all immigrants, regardless of immigration status, TND reports.