A recently passed Washington state bill may open access to housing assistance for undocumented immigrants, a development that has stirred political debate across party lines regarding eligibility criteria and budgetary implications.
The measure revises the framework of a long-standing aid program intended for residents unable to work due to health-related conditions. While the bill’s text does not explicitly reference immigration status, changes to eligibility language have drawn attention.
Fox News, reporting on reactions from Republican lawmakers, highlighted concerns over potential impacts on taxpayer-funded services. The legislation emerges in a period of financial pressure, with the state currently managing a $16 billion shortfall.
SB 5232 and the Housing and Essential Needs Program
Senate Bill 5232, passed by the Democratic-majority legislature, modifies the eligibility criteria of the Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) Referral Program, which provides rental assistance and essential items for low-income individuals unable to work due to physical or mental disabilities.
The legislation removes a key requirement that previously limited participation to
Citizens or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise residing in the United States under color of law.
This change potentially expands access to undocumented immigrants, pending implementation.
The state has allocated $130 million to the HEN program in the current cycle. The amendment does not explicitly mention undocumented immigrants but removes immigration-based restrictions that critics say effectively opens the program to them.
Republican Opposition Focuses on Cost and Prioritization
Opposition to the bill has been led by Republican lawmakers, who argue that expanding public aid to undocumented immigrants shifts financial responsibility away from existing residents and taxpayers.
Senator Leonard Christian, ranking member of the Senate Human Services Committee, expressed strong opposition during media interviews.
This year seems to be the year for noncitizens – Christian told Fox News Digital.
We have no problem giving direct money, housing money to noncitizens, along with $150 million in Medicaid for noncitizens.
It just seems like the state is trying really hard to pick a fight with the Trump administration – he added.
Republican Representative Travis Couture also denounced the bill in a social media post, writing:
That means our people get kicked out of line in favor of illegal immigrants. Gov. Ferguson — veto this. It’s unfair and it’s wrong. Put our own people first!
Governor Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, has not indicated whether he will sign the legislation.
Criticisms of Oversight and Program Safeguards
Senator Christian also raised concerns about accountability, referring to the program as a “gift of taxpayer dollars” with limited “guardrails around it.” He shared a personal anecdote to illustrate the risks of poorly managed aid:
My mom left me and my 12-year-old brother at home to go cross-country trucking. He used the money that was given to my mom to buy groceries and food for us kids, to buy marijuana and alcohol at the age of 12 – he said.
I saw first hand [the impact of] substance abuse and handing money to somebody.
He criticized what he sees as a pattern in Democratic policy decisions:
A lot of times, the Democratic Party thinks more with their hearts than with their head. It’s the idea that they see a problem, and they think they can fix it.
They don’t get the fact that somebody else has got to pay for that crazy program. I would certainly like to go around with a card and have fun and save the world, but who’s going to pay that Visa bill, and that’s when they don’t seem to care.
An apparent discrepancy has emerged around the bill’s identification. The official Washington State Legislature website lists SB 5232 (2023–24) as a bill titled “Enhancing requirements for the purchase or transfer of firearms.”
This raises questions about whether the housing-related content cited in recent media corresponds to an amended version of this bill or a different one misattributed by outside sources.
As of now, the source of the amendment linked to the Housing and Essential Needs program appears to be from an unofficial or redirected version.
