Federal housing resources to US citizens, not illegal immigrate, HUD joins with DHS

 

 Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem have forged a new inter-agency initiative aimed at ensuring federal housing funds do not go to illegal immigrants. 

 The two secretaries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday cementing the partnership, which will serve to end what they call "wasteful misappropriation" of taxpayer-funded public housing resources going to illegal immigrants rather than U.S. citizens.  The new initiative will facilitate data sharing between the two agencies via newly established lines of communication, according to a press release about the effort, which added that U.S. veterans stood to benefit from the move.

 "American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation’s housing crisis," Turner said Monday.  "This new agreement will leverage resources, including technology and personnel, to ensure American people are the only priority when it comes to public housing.  We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first."

 In total, per HUD, there are roughly 9 million people who live in subsidized housing across the country.  Meanwhile, about 59% of noncitizen households – those including green card holders or illegal immigrants – use one or more public assistance programs, costing taxpayers as much as $42 billion annually, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for lower immigration levels.

 During the Biden administration, at least tens of millions of dollars were spent on housing for migrants, including free hotel stays for some. Some states, such as Pennsylvania and Arizona, passed measures during the Biden administration aimed at ensuring illegal immigrants do not take public housing resources from Americans who need them. 

 President Donald Trump, shortly after his inauguration, signed an executive order calling for an end to illegal immigrants' use of public resources.

 "The Biden Administration put illegal aliens ahead of our own citizens, giving illegal aliens housing that was paid for by the taxpayer at the expense of Americans. Not anymore," Noem said in a statement Monday.  "The entire government will work together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally.  If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now.  The gravy train has come to an end. HUD will provide a full-time employee to help with operations at the federal government's Incident Command Center, which makes it easier for agencies to share information during national crises. Additionally, in conjunction with the establishment of the new initiative, Turner ordered numerous federal housing programs under his purview to comply with Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980, which bars HUD-funded service providers from providing assistance to illegal immigrants.