Republicans have long accused Democrats of embracing mass illegal immigration as a way to ensure permanent majority status in key states as well as nationally, and now, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to have validated those concerns.
During an interview on Friday with HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher, the California Democrat and comedian discussed recent legislation passed in the state that would give illegal immigrants up to $150,000 in state funding to buy a home.
The bill, AB 1840, would require the California Housing Finance Authority’s home purchase assistance program, or California Dream for All Program, to include illegal immigrants’ applications,” Fox News reported, adding that it has already cleared the state Senate.
Democrats have a super-majority in the California legislature, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is a Democrat as well.
“Giving government assistance to undocumented immigrants to buy houses; that’s kind of a different place than the Democratic Party used to be on immigration,” Maher said.
Pelosi responded by claiming that assistance for illegal aliens has always been a “bipartisan” issue.
Well, it’s not free housing. It’s the American dream, being available to more people. But understand this about immigration. The best speech on immigration was by President Ronald Reagan,” she said, though Reagan and Republicans never advocated for taxpayer-funding housing for illegal immigrants.
“And he talked about the Statue of Liberty and the beacon of hope it is to the world and what America was preeminent in the world because our door was always open. And we will cease to be preeminent when we shut the door,” Pelosi said.
“So you’d vote for this law?” Maher asked.
“Well I don’t – I’m not familiar with exactly what it is, but making the American dream of home ownership available to all people is something we have to do for people who are here now,” Pelosi responded, at which point the comedian host noted that the taxpayer-funded housing will be given to “undocumented” migrants while the state and its citizens deal with a housing crisis.
Well, what I would like to do is move them to documented,” Pelosi said. “One of the best things that we can do for our economy is to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”
