When you read the headline, which frankly almost reads like satire because the reality behind it is so bonkers, you probably thought to yourself, I bet this involves California. And indeed it does.
In yet another example of the Golden State’s endless grift, it turns out the state is paying for free solar panels, refrigerators, and more for folks who are not in this country legally.
Why? To stop climate change, they argue. Or maybe it’s just to line the pockets of the legion of non-governmental organizations and interest groups who stand to profit from the scheme?
Journalists Christopher Rufo and Austen Hufford teamed up for a story in the City Journal and a Tuesday op-ed in the California Post, where they give you the dirty little details:
California is spending millions of dollars on a program that provides free solar panels, refrigerators, and windows to “low-income” farmworkers, including illegal immigrants.
The initiative, called the Farmworker Housing Component of the Low-Income Weatherization Program, is part of California’s sprawling, multibillion-dollar “cap-and-trade” system, which taxes carbon producers and redistributes approximately $3 billion per year to energy programs and left-wing social causes — all under the banner of fighting “climate change.”
Since 2019, California’s government has earmarked $49 million for the farmworker program, which operates through an opaque web that includes a government agency, nonprofit providers, and private contractors.
Have you ever heard of something more peak California?
California is full of criminal fraud, but an even greater part of the state budget is devoted to programs that are technically legal, but completely antithetical to the public good. "Free solar panels to illegal aliens" is a legalized crime against the citizen. A scandal. https://t.co/tpt9Qjimnm
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@christopherrufo) May 26, 2026
California on the Brink: Insane Policies Now Fueling Scarcity Nightmare
Here’s how it works, according to the authors. The government doles out millions as part of its Orwellian-sounding initiative, the Farmworker Housing Component of the Low-Income Weatherization Program, and hands it over to an “opaque web that includes a government agency, nonprofit providers, and private contractors.”
Democrats are against having to provide an ID to vote, but with this program, that’s all you need to get your free stuff — even if your identification was issued by a foreign country:
These organizations have heavily advertised the program to California’s nearly 900,000 agricultural workers, half to three-quarters of whom are illegal immigrants. In its official documentation, California’s Department of Community Services and Development acknowledges that non-citizens are eligible for the program and that they even accept identification from foreign governments.
In a Spanish-language radio broadcast, Natalie Velores, a program manager for MAROMA, confirmed that participants do not need “legal status” in the United States and can use a matrìcula consular, a common form of identification that the Mexican consulate provides to migrants who have crossed the border, to apply.
“We only require an ID,” Velores said. “It doesn’t need to be from this state, or [the] United States.”
California is spending millions of dollars sending contractors into the farm fields, trying to persuade undocumented migrants to sign up for free solar panels—all funded by taxpayers. https://t.co/PMjY6rvCOp
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@christopherrufo) May 26, 2026
As the authors note, this ridiculousness seems to have little to do with climate change; a few solar panels on farmworkers’ houses will basically do nothing to affect the overall environment. It’s just more Golden State grift, with Gov. Gavin Newsom and the leftists leading the way.
I’d tell them they ought to feel ashamed, but they’ve proven time and time again that they lack the ability to feel that particular emotion.
This one is so absurd it's almost funny. Almost.
Editor’s Note: Democrats continue to put our nation's national security at risk simply because they want to keep illegal aliens from being deported.
Help us report the truth about this Democrat caused partial DHS shutdown. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member