HUD Will Render Immigrants Homeless

HUD’s Proposed Rule Would Render Immigrants Homeless

Lawyers for Civil Rights submitted comments in strong opposition to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) proposed rule on Verification of Eligible Status. If adopted, this proposed rule would cause undocumented members of mixed status families to lose access to affordable housing.

HUD’s proposed immigration status verification process is deeply problematic because it would force the staff of local housing authorities to screen the current recipients of federal housing assistance, and to review complex legal documents related to immigration status. Housing authorities are simply not equipped or qualified to discern immigration status.

The proposed rule would essentially force mixed-status families to evict undocumented family members. This scenario is not plausible. Family members cannot and will not evict one another. This becomes even more untenable considering that the majority of affected family members will be the parents of U.S. citizen children.

This would affect an estimated 25,000 mixed status households. That is over 100,000 individuals who are disproportionately women, the elderly, low-income individuals, and people of color.

If adopted, the proposed rule will increase the already large number of homeless families. In this manner, costs associated with displacement will be transferred to cities and states because mixed status families will be forced to rely on emergency assistance shelters operated locally.

LCR’s full submission is available here.

LCR HUD Comments 7.9.19