Clinton OKs $8.6-Billion Quake Aid

Twenty-six days after an earthquake cut a swath of devastation through the Los Angeles area, President Clinton signed a relief bill into law Saturday that he said shows “the generosity of the American people when tragedy strikes,” but also bars illegal immigrants from receiving some assistance.

The $8.6 billion in aid--the most ever appropriated for a single U.S. disaster--will pay for housing assistance and the reconstruction of highways, schools and other public facilities, as well as loans to offset damage suffered by renters, homeowners and businesses.

The bill also includes a controversial measure that prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving long-term assistance. For the first 90 days, illegal immigrants remain eligible for emergency food, medical care and shelter.

Under a compromise formula, however, federal officials are to take “reasonable steps” to ensure that anyone applying for assistance of 90 days or more must be a legal resident.

What those “reasonable steps” are remains a matter of legal interpretation.

But Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry G. Cisneros said in Universal City on Saturday that authorities would “immediately” begin asking applicants for Section 8 disaster housing assistance about their immigration status. That program has provided 15,000 low-income quake victims with vouchers covering 70% of their rent costs for an 18-month period.

To date, officials say they have not inquired about the legal status of those seeking such rent subsidies and other post-earthquake assistance.

The secretary’s comments were the first indication by a high-ranking Administration official that government aid screeners would begin asking directly about applicants’ immigration status. Some immigrant rights advocates had suggested that the requirement be enforced on a “don’t ask” basis. In that scenario, applicants would only be turned away if they volunteered their undocumented status or if it otherwise came to officials’ attention.

In the first days of the new approach, Cisneros said in an interview after a meeting with more than 1,000 landlords, housing officials will probably rely on oral interviews. But Cisneros would not rule out the possibility that aid applicants may eventually be obliged to produce some kind of documentation verifying that they are in the United States legally.

“Till we have a better procedure, it will be a series of questions that are direct questions to the individual and it will be asked of everyone,” Cisneros said.

To avoid discrimination, Cisneros said, each applicant must be asked about legal status. Officials cannot determine eligibility “on the basis of a person’s skin color or facial attributes or anything else,” he said.

Those who are refused housing assistance because of their legal status will not be turned over to immigration authorities, Cisneros added. “We’re providing housing and emergency assistance, and (we’re) not substitutes for the Immigration Service,” he said.

Cisneros, one of the nation’s leading Latino politicians, stopped short of criticizing the congressional requirement. But he did express regret about it.

“It’s sad that the circumstances of a disaster would result in making these kinds of distinctions about human suffering,” the secretary said. “Our job is to carry out the laws the way that Congress in its wisdom passes them.”

However, Cisneros voiced the belief that few illegal immigrants apply for Section 8 housing assistance anyway. The government paperwork requirements generally act as a deterrent, he said.

Others say official inquiries about legal status could have a chilling effect on all immigrants, even discouraging wary legal residents from soliciting help. Talk of such restrictions has already scared many, advocates say.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which coordinates most disaster relief, has no immediate plans to revise its procedures, said Phil Cogan, an agency spokesman.

Although most FEMA aid is short term, Cisneros noted that one FEMA housing assistance program can also be extended up to 18 months.

Immigrant advocates denounced the government’s action. Among other objections, critics note that many families are split, including one or two undocumented parents along with several children who are U.S. citizens.

“This is really just unbelievable,” said Carlos Vaquerano, spokesman for the Central American Resource Center. “It’s not an issue of documented or undocumented--it’s an issue of humanity. . . . This policy represents a total lack of respect to our community.”

Others expressed concern about potential discrimination.

“Are they going to ask an upper-middle-class Anglo from Northridge, or a person who speaks with an accent and has five children and might look Mexican or Iranian?” asked Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg.

Yet some laud the restrictions.

“We cannot continue to provide for all the social requirements of undocumented aliens,” said Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside), who sponsored the ban.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) called the law a “major turning point” in immigration policy, halting a tendency to help the undocumented. “This is the first step in evolving back to a more sane economic policy in which illegal immigrants do not have the same rights as legal residents,” Rohrabacher said.

Illegal immigrants are already barred from most forms of federal public assistance, including welfare, food stamps and unemployment insurance. They are generally eligible for federal housing aid, and some medical and nutrition benefits.

In a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, President Clinton called the legislation--approved swiftly by Congress--”the most comprehensive national response ever to a region experiencing a natural disaster.”

He cited the death toll from the Jan. 17 quake (at least 57 died in Los Angeles County) and other suffering: nearly 10,000 people were injured and there was severe damage to 150 public schools and five hospitals.

Under the assistance package, FEMA, the central coordinating agency--which was about to run out of money this week--will receive $4.7 billion. This will pay for assistance to individuals who suffered in the quake, as well as help to rebuild schools, water lines and other public facilities. The agency has already received more than 300,000 applications for aid.

Also in the bill is $1.35 billion to pay for rebuilding freeways and bridges through the Department of Transportation. Another $1.1 billion will go to the Small Business Administration to pay for low-interest loans for homeowners, renters and small businesses. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will get $200 million more for rent subsidies.

Savage reported in Washington, McDonnell in Los Angeles. Times staff writers Jesse Katz and Rebecca Trounson also contributed to this story.