alifornia Democrats made one thing crystal clear during this week’s heated gubernatorial debate: even as they warn that the state’s healthcare system is overwhelmed and financially strained, they still support providing healthcare coverage for illegal immigrants. Because apparently the solution to a system already “on the brink” is… adding even more people to it.
During the debate, every Democratic candidate on stage backed taxpayer-funded healthcare access for illegal immigrants, despite repeated concerns about California’s ballooning budget deficit and rising healthcare costs crushing families and businesses across the state.
Democratic candidate and billionaire businessman Tom Steyer defended the policy aggressively, arguing that illegal immigrants help keep California functioning.
“We had a broken immigration system, and now you want to victimize the people who are working here and making the state run,” Steyer said after being asked whether he supported restoring coverage that Gov. Gavin Newsom had previously cut to help reduce the deficit.
Former Congresswoman Katie Porter was pressed directly on the cost of offering free healthcare to people in the country illegally. Rather than addressing the financial burden head-on, Porter argued that denying healthcare would supposedly cost even more in the long run.
“We can't afford to have people who are sick, who are making the rest of us sick,” Porter said.
That response prompted Republican candidate Chad Bianco to cut in with a blunt reply: “They shouldn’t be here.”
The comment briefly stunned Porter before she continued arguing that illegal immigrants not receiving routine medical care would overcrowd emergency rooms and strain the healthcare system further.
Former Biden administration Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra also defended the policy, saying immigrants — “whether documented or not” — deserve access to healthcare because they work hard and pay taxes.
Becerra argued it would be “foolish” not to provide preventative care, claiming emergency room visits become more expensive later if care is denied upfront.
Meanwhile, Bianco pushed back hard against the entire premise, arguing that California leaders are rewarding illegal immigration while ordinary citizens struggle with rising costs and limited healthcare access.
“When are we going to draw the line at any other crime? It’s illegal,” Bianco said. “We’re not going to incentivize them to come here to take more of the resources that regular Californians aren’t getting.”
Before the immigration debate even intensified, Democratic candidates were already battling over who was more committed to expanding government-run healthcare. Steyer openly backed single-payer healthcare “absolutely,” while Becerra pushed for a “Medicare for all” style system in California.
For many voters watching the debate, the contrast was impossible to ignore: politicians warning about financial collapse while simultaneously promising even more taxpayer-funded benefits. Still, the debate also highlighted just how sharply divided the country remains on immigration, healthcare, and the role government should play in both.
