This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has taken a step to stop illegal immigrants from receiving housing benefits.
Housing Secretary Scott Turner, in an Aug. 29 letter, gave housing authorities 30 days to submit proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status for those receiving a Section 8 voucher or residing in HUD-funded housing.
“No longer will illegal aliens be able to leave citizenship boxes blank or take advantage of HUD-funded housing, riding the coattails of hardworking American citizens,” Turner wrote in the letter.
“HUD will leverage all available enforcement actions against entities who do not comply with the request for citizenship information, including, but not limited to, examination of HUD funding.”
Section 8 vouchers are offered to people with low incomes, older adults, and people who are disabled. They help recipients pay for housing.
Vouchers are managed by approximately 2,000 local housing authorities. About 2.3 million households receive rental assistance through the program on an annual basis. Demand is so high that eligible applicants typically have to wait years to receive benefits. To be eligible, a person must be a U.S. citizen or otherwise be in the country legally.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) was among those praising HUD’s move.
“Anyone in this country illegally should be deported, not given publicly funded housing!” he wrote on X.
Former HUD employee Cat Vielma said on X that illegal immigrants are already ineligible for Section 8 vouchers and that “requiring a second, immediate accounting will not provide a massive correction or eviction” but “will simply divert staff from serving American seniors, vets etc.”
The announcement came after Turner and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed a memorandum of understanding in the spring aimed at preventing housing benefits from going to illegal immigrants.
The memo said that the agencies would start communicating and developing measures that would accomplish President Donald Trump’s directive to officials to ensure that federally funded programs benefit American citizens. The agencies also planned to work together to identify illegal immigrants receiving federal housing assistance and potentially refer them for deportation.
“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,” Noem said at the time. “If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over.”
