Members of Congress Oppose HUD Mixed-Status Immigrant-Family Rule

Members of Congress continue to express their strong opposition to a HUD-proposed rule that would evict 25,000 mixed-status immigrant families from subsidized housing. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced on June 19 the “Keeping Families Together Act of 2019” (S. 1904), the Senate companion to a bill (H.R. 2763) passed out of the House Financial Services Committee on June 11 (see Memo 6/17). The legislation would block HUD from implementing its proposed rule to evict mixed-status immigrant families from public and other subsidized housing. Housing assistance is currently prorated, so it does not benefit ineligible family members.

In a press release announcing the legislation, Senator Gillibrand stated, “This proposed HUD rule is another example of the Trump Administration’s clear and relentless attacks against immigrant families across this country. Undocumented immigrants are already ineligible from receiving federal housing assistance, however this new rule would punish their entire families and would deliberately put tens of thousands of individuals, including children, at risk of eviction, homelessness, or family separation.” 

In the same press release, NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel stated, “The cruelty of Secretary Carson’s proposal is breathtaking, and the harm it would inflict on children, families and communities is severe. Tens of thousands of deeply poor kids, mostly US citizens, could be evicted and made homeless by this proposal, and – by HUD’s own admission – there would be no benefit to families on waiting lists.”

Additionally, the congressional Tri-Caucus – which includes the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Asian-Pacific American Caucus – sent a letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson on June 18 expressing their opposition to the proposed rule to evict mixed-status immigrant families and asking him to withdraw it. The letter notes that the rule would displace more than 55,000 children who are U.S. citizens or legal residents and would negatively impact all residents of HUD-subsidized housing.

The members of Congress rejected Secretary Carson’s claim that the proposed rule would help decrease waiting lists for housing assistance, stating that 4.4 million families nationwide are waiting for public housing or Housing Choice Vouchers, “which far exceeds the nominal number of HUD-assisted households that the rule seeks to assist.”

Learn more about the “Keeping Families Together Act” at: https://tinyurl.com/y4yq2rkp

Read Senator Gillibrand’s press release at: https://bit.ly/2IDFz9J

Read the full Tri-Caucus letter at: https://tinyurl.com/yymc2ao2

Submit your own comments to oppose the rule by July 9 at: https://www.keep-families-together.org/