Secretary Scott Turner vowed that the agency would “do everything possible” to root out noncitizens who may take advantage of HUD-funded housing.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has increased its enforcement of government-funded housing in the United States, ordering “immediate” citizenship checks for all tenants in HUD-funded housing, the agency announced Friday.
The agency said the call to action was prompted by a recent audit conducted by HUD and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that found nearly 200,000 tenants requiring eligibility verification, nearly 25,000 dead and nearly 6,000 ineligible as “non-American tenants.”
The agency is giving all Public Housing Administration (PHA) and HUD-funded housing owners 30 days to take action, according to a press release.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement: “We will use every means possible.” “We are proud to work with DHS to implement the President’s agenda to root out abuse of taxpayer funds. Ineligible non-citizens have no place on welfare. With this new directive and audit, HUD is implementing new processes to protect taxpayer dollars and put the American people first.”
HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Ben Hobbs also characterized the move as a way to conserve resources while putting Americans first.
“Today’s action to confirm the immigration status of all HUD-assisted households is a major step forward in putting American families first and ensuring we eliminate waste, fraud and abuse,” Hobbs said in a statement. “Hundreds of thousands of American families are on housing waiting lists across the country, and it is critical that we prioritize limited resources only to eligible families.”
HUD explained that the directive is a follow-up to a letter the agency sent to PHAs and owners last month. The letter reminded recipients of their obligation under Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 and Executive Order 14218 by President Trump to verify an individual’s citizenship and immigration status before being admitted to HUD housing.
The timing of the announcement coincided with tense protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis. Hundreds of local businesses in the Twin Cities closed Friday to unite in protest of the nearly six-week federal government crackdown on immigrants in the area.
Last year, HUD and DHS signed a memorandum of understanding for the American Housing for American Citizens program to curb the number of noncitizens who may benefit from HUD offerings. Through this agreement, HUD provided staff members to the Incident Command Center (ICC) to facilitate data sharing.
PHAs and owners must review the Enterprise Income Verification “EIV-SAVE” tenant match report, a HUD system that verifies resident information and income, within the next 30 days to ensure that the housing is in compliance with eligibility requirements and “initiate corrective action” if the resident does not qualify for HUD housing. The press release warned that PHAs and owners who do not comply will be subject to sanctions.
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