HUD moves to force undocumented immigrants from public housing

HUD moves to force undocumented immigrants from public housing

By Lynda Carson - April 20, 2019

In an effort that pits public housing tenants against one another, reportedly last Wednesday evening on April 17, 2019, the Trump administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new proposal to force undocumented immigrants from our nation’s public housing units.

According to the New York Times, “The rule was delivered to Congress on Wednesday night for a 15-day review period. After that, there will be 60 days for public comment. If the rule goes into effect, undocumented immigrants living in public housing would not be immediately removed, the official said. They would be given up to 18 months, through three six-month waivers, to relocate.”

HUD proposed the rule that would expand the use of a program administered by the Department of Homeland Security, known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program (a.k.a. SAVE).

Save is a program used to verify a person’s immigration and citizenship status to assist federal and local government agencies in determining who is eligible for benefits. The proposed rule change is supposed to ensure that only American citizens and legal residents can reside in public housing, and allegedly would affect around 25,000 households. HUD claims that the proposed rule change will shorten the waiting lists to get into public housing. Meanwhile, the Trump regime and HUD have proposed massive budget cuts to HUD’s subsidized housing programs during the past three years, which contradicts any claims that they are trying to shorten the waiting lists for public housing.

In a tweet by HUD Secretary Ben Carson, “Thanks to @realDonaldTrump's leadership, we are putting America's most vulnerable first. Our nation faces affordable housing challenges and hundreds of thousands of citizens are waiting for many years on waitlists to get housing assistance.”

In contrast, in a statement by Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, “HUD Secretary Carson’s cruel proposal announced yesterday (last Wednesday) related to undocumented immigrants would break up families and destabilize communities, while doing nothing to shorten waiting lists.

HUD does not subsidize undocumented immigrants who live in public housing. Every household must have an eligible citizen or legal resident in it, and ineligible members are not subsidized.

HUD falsely claims the change is proposed out of concern for long waiting lists, when they know well that it would do nothing to free up new units. The true purpose may be part of this Administration’s effort to instill fear in immigrants throughout the country.”

Additionally, according to a comment by NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman, “Public housing and other subsidized housing programs are funded by federal dollars, so HUD and Congress have the authority to determine who is eligible for these programs. They have done so over the years, and housing providers have followed those rules. But to create a new rule that will disrupt existing tenants and families seems both cruel and unnecessary. And using lengthy waiting lists as the excuse to do so is, frankly, ridiculous.  Waiting lists are long not because of undocumented families, but because there is not enough public housing to help all who need it.

HUD already restricts housing benefits to U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens. There are already rules in place, and public housing authorities both know them and follow them. There’s no need to create further bureaucracy and confusion in an already under-resourced system.”

Public housing is under attack all across the nation. A photo and story about some of Berkeley's former public housing tenants protesting against the privatization of their public housing is available here. Their long-time public housing was eventually privatized and sold to some out-of-state billionaires.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

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