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"Given the finite funding available for (California Housing
Finance Agency) programs, expanding program eligibility must be
carefully considered within the broader context of the annual
state budget to ensure we manage our resources effectively,"
Newsom said in a statement. "For this reason, I am unable to
sign this bill."
The state legislature approved the bill and sent it to the
governor's desk last week.
The bill was authored by California lawmaker Joaquin Arambula, a
Democrat representing Fresno.
"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," Arambula has said about the bill.
"And, that includes undocumented immigrants who have lived here
for decades and pay their taxes."
Republicans who opposed the legislation said housing assistance
for families who came legally to the U.S. should be prioritized
and not for undocumented immigrants.
Immigration has emerged as an important issue for the upcoming
Nov. 5 U.S. elections in which Democratic Vice President and
presidential candidate Kamala Harris faces Republican former
President Donald Trump.
Trump has labeled Democrats as soft on immigration and has
advocated for deporting immigrants who have come to the U.S.
illegally. He said on Thursday he would ban mortgages for
migrants living illegally in California, after claiming without
evidence they were driving up housing costs.
He did not provide specifics on how he would enact such a ban
and did not say whether the ban would apply beyond California.
Banks can legally provide mortgages to undocumented migrants,
but do so infrequently.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by David
Gregorio)
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