A Trump- Proofed Plan for Undocumented Immigrant Phone Discounts
Source: Politico | By Tyler Katzenberger and Christine Mui
Assemblymember Avelino Valencia’s proposal — a priority bill for state Democrats’ Latino Legislative Caucus — would make California the first U.S. state to allow undocumented immigrants and other people without social security numbers to sign up for the state's LifeLine program, which offers low-income households up to $19 off their monthly phone bill. Valencia’s plan would protect undocumented immigrants by barring LifeLine administrators from sharing customers’ personal information with federal immigration authorities absent a warrant.
Whether the law applies in this situation is unclear, said Adria Tinnin, a policy advocate for The Utility Reform Network. But if it did, it would give the Trump administration or another GOP leader in Washington a golden opportunity to go after the Golden State. And that’s well within the realm of possibility, given Republicans’ adversarial relationship with California and ongoing pursuit of mass deportations. “It's a time suck that would further delay the implementation of a really important decision,” Tinnin told Decoded.
