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California Democrats just voted to give illegal immigrants “priority” status over citizens in the distribution of over $1 billion in taxpayer-funded state disaster relief — and Assemblymember Carl DeMaio is calling them out.
“While law-abiding citizens struggle to rebuild from recent disasters, California politicians want to prioritize illegal immigrants to receive aid paid for by you, the taxpayer,” says DeMaio. “Assembly Bill 262 is both legally and morally wrong — if you broke our laws to get into our country, you do not deserve benefits paid for by hardworking California citizens.”
Assemblyman DeMaio, who also serves as Chairman of Reform California, is blasting the legislation — AB 262, introduced by Democrat Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza (Assembly District 52) — which creates the “California Individual Assistance Act.” The bill allows the state to provide disaster aid without considering immigration status, directly undermining federal law and opening the floodgates for benefits to be handed out to illegal immigrants first.
During the Assembly Emergency Management Committee hearing, DeMaio offered an amendment to AB 262 that would have ensured no disaster aid would go to individuals in the country illegally.
“The amendment was simple: protect taxpayer dollars and comply with federal law,” DeMaio explains. “But the bill’s author flat-out refused — proving that their real priority isn’t California citizens, it’s illegal immigrants.”
Caloza responded to DeMaio offering the amendment by stating that “Everyone is impacted by disaster, and our most vulnerable are impacted by this disaster. So to answer your question, the answer is no [I will not accept your amendment].”
Federal law currently prohibits disaster aid from being provided to illegal immigrants using federal funds. But AB 262 creates a state-run workaround, funded entirely by California taxpayers — and prioritizes illegal immigrants in the distribution of assistance during wildfires, floods, and other emergencies.
“This is a direct betrayal of the public trust,” says DeMaio. “The Democrats in Sacramento think voters won’t notice. But I’m making sure they do — and we’re going to hold every one of them accountable for this.”
According to DeMaio, AB 262 not only undermines federal immigration enforcement, but also insults Californians still waiting for relief from recent disasters who now face being pushed to the back of the line.
“Sacramento politicians think hardworking California citizens are too dumb to know what they’re up to,” DeMaio says. “But the author of AB 262 made it crystal clear by rejecting my amendment — they want to give YOUR disaster relief dollars to illegal immigrants, first.”
DeMaio says his office is tracking every legislator who votes for bills like AB 262 and will include them on the 2026 “Broken Promises” report card.
“This isn’t about partisanship — it’s about priorities,” says DeMaio. “California should be helping its citizens first. Not cutting the line for people who violated our laws to get here.”
Reform California is calling on voters to oppose taxpayer handouts to illegal immigrants and demand accountability from their elected representatives — and that the best way to hold them accountable is at the ballot box. That’s why Reform California is preparing to wage the fight in 2026 to flip key target seats, break the Democrat supermajority, and get enough fighters in the state legislature to stop bills like AB 262.
