Former California Assemblyman and current U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has delivered a blistering indictment of Sacramentos open-borders agenda, warning that Democrat lawmakers are deliberately erasing the distinction between lawful immigrants and those who break Americas immigration laws.
In a recent interview with PragerU, Essayli, now serving as a top federal prosecutor in President Trumps second administration, described how the political class in California has turned illegal immigration into a protected cause at the expense of citizens and legal newcomers. According to the Gateway Pundit, Essayli, the son of immigrants who followed every legal requirement to come to the United States, argued that the lefts refusal even to utter the word illegal is a calculated move to blur moral and legal lines for partisan gain.
I think one of the most offensive things my parents are immigrants. They immigrated here lawfully. Theres a lot of immigrants in California. The presidents wife is an immigrant. And, um, they never mention the word illegal. He added, They always say immigrant community. And I just find that particularly offensive, especially for people like my parents who did it the right way.
Essayli recalled watching his mother prepare for the citizenship exam, studying the branches of government and the responsibilities of American citizenship, only to see todays political leadership shower benefits on those who ignored the law. They came here, they took the citizenship exam. I remember my mom studying for the test and learning about the branches of government, everything. They never want to distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants. And I find that particularly offensive.
He then laid bare what he called the real motive behind Californias permissive policies. But youre right, the dirty little secret is they want the flow of illegal immigrants. It fuels well, you could talk about it politically, why for census reporting and other reasons, states like California need that population inflow because everyone else is getting out of the state.
Essayli described a legislature obsessed with privileging illegal immigrants over taxpaying citizens and legal residents. And then when you go to Sacramento, this is like the protected oppressed group of the day. And so all their bills every day is like, how do we protect illegal immigrants? How do we get more lawyers for them? How do we get them more services? How do we get them free down payment assistance to buy a home? Im not joking. That was a bill when I was in Sacramento.
They wanted to allow illegal immigrants to access down payment assistance to buy a home. I was like, how do they even get a loan? You know? And apparently you can get a loan with a TIN number, which I found out. But again, people like my mom, shes not getting down payment assistance. Shes not getting all these things. Shes working. His remarks underscored a central conservative concern: that progressive policies now routinely reward unlawful behavior while sidelining those who respect the law and contribute quietly.
Essayli was referring to California Assembly Bill 1840, passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature in 2024, which sought to expand eligibility for the California Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan Program to illegal immigrants. The program provides shared-appreciation assistance for down payments and closing costs to qualifying first-time homebuyers, and although Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the measure, he did so on the grounds of limited funding rather than any objection to extending such benefits to those in the country illegally.
For conservatives, Essaylis critique highlights a broader national debate: whether America will remain a nation that honors legal immigration, personal responsibility, and equal treatment under the law, or continue down a path where political expediency and identity politics dictate who receives government favor. His warning resonates with many citizens and lawful immigrants who see a political class more interested in importing future voters and expanding dependency than in defending the rule of law and the integrity of American citizenship.
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