Scott Turner is the secretary of housing and urban development.
Mixed-status households. Ineligible noncitizens. Public housing. These three phrases were never intended to coexist under one federally subsidized roof. And yet, under current loopholes, they do. Proof of citizenship is not required.
Eligibility for public housing should not be negotiable. That’s why the Department of Housing and Urban Development is proposing a new rule to finally enforce Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980. The proposed rule demands eligibility documentation for every individual living in HUD-funded housing, ending the era of illegal aliens and other ineligible noncitizens exploiting public housing resources.
Previous administrations turned a blind eye to enforcing Section 214. The law is clear: Housing assistance must only go to eligible individuals. This requirement exists to protect the families and taxpayers who fund the nation’s welfare system. It draws a hard line.
Liberal officials at both the federal and state level purposefully blurred and weakened the law by allowing some applicants for HUD assistance to simply sign a declaration of citizenship without requiring any documentation or proof. The law was further eroded when liberals allowed ineligibles to get away with living in HUD-subsidized housing as part of a mixed-status household. That means ineligible individuals, including illegal aliens, could benefit from HUD assistance if just one member of their family in the household was eligible or signed a declaration of citizenship with no proof.
The consequences are measurable. A recent HUD and Department of Homeland Security audit of all assisted households identified nearly 200,000 tenants with incomplete or unknown eligibility verification. Furthermore, HUD estimates that roughly 24,000 ineligible individuals are exploiting the mixed-status household loophole and currently residing in HUD-subsidized housing. These individuals were permitted to live in HUD-assisted housing without providing any verification of their eligibility. The result of liberal regulatory policies was an erosion of Section 214 itself.
These were not isolated clerical oversights, they were manufactured by administrations that systematically neglected American families. Neglecting the law had terrible consequences. The pain wasn’t felt by politicians and bureaucrats on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was felt by the millions of Americans on housing wait lists across the country. The mother working overtime to keep her children housed, the veteran fighting to rebuild civilian life and the senior counting every dollar at the kitchen table. As is true on our border, when the law is not enforced, the results are predictable. This is not about politics; it is about stewardship.
HUD will restore accountability and ensure that American citizens are the priority.
According to preliminary HUD data, enforcing Section 214 as written could redirect an estimated $218 million to American families who qualify and have patiently waited for years for a safe and affordable place to live.
The Trump administration has made historic progress to restore law and order at every level of government. The integrity of our border and the integrity of our public housing programs both depend on upholding the law.
HUD’s proposed rule enforcing Section 214 is part of our broader campaign to crack down on illegal and ineligible aliens siphoning public assistance from the American people. We terminated access to FHA-insured mortgages for individuals who do not meet lawful residency requirements. We announced a crime hotline for residents in HUD-funded housing to report illegal aliens and other criminals. And we have strengthened law-enforcement coordination with DHS to stop the flow of funds to illegals.
President Donald Trump promised welfare reform to restore common sense, and that is exactly what HUD is doing.
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