On February 20, HUD published a proposed rule that would separate families with mixed immigration statuses (“mixed-status families”) and require burdensome immigration verification for everyone, including U.S. citizens, living in HUD-assisted housing, regardless of age. If finalized and implemented, this proposal would cause nearly 80,000 families to lose their housing assistance, including nearly 37,000 children.
The proposed rule includes a 60-day public comment period. NLIHC, together with the National Housing Law Project, and Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition are launching the Keep Families Together campaign to oppose HUD’s proposal.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), entitled “Housing and Community Development Act of 1980: Verification of Eligible Status,” seeks to repeat the Trump Administration’s 2019 attempt to break up or evict mixed-status families in HUD-assisted housing. Unlike the 2019 effort, however, the current proposal creates citizenship verification requirements for all households living in HUD-assisted housing, including over 4.3 million households with a U.S. citizen. Additional data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on the number of households impacted by the rule, including demographic breakdown, can be found here. NLIHC will continue to analyze the proposal and share opportunities for engagement shortly.
Read the proposed rule here.