‘No longer will illegal aliens be able to leave citizenship boxes blank,’ Housing Secretary Scott Turner said.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has taken a step to try 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 be in the country legally, such as individuals with green cards.
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.
