HUD Struck a Data-Sharing Agreement With Immigration Enforcement. What Does it Mean for NYC?

According to advocates who spoke with City Limits the memorandum is yet another effort by the Trump administration to target immigrants and doesn t constitute a basis for eviction HUD Secretary Scott Turner and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announcing the American Housing Programs for American Citizens memo on March YouTube HUD On March the U S Department of Housing and Urban Expansion HUD stated a partnership with the Department of Homeland Measure DHS which will create a point of contact between the two federal agencies to share evidence about undocumented immigrants living in government-subsidized housing By working more closely together and with greater collaboration we will identify illegal aliens who are ineligible for Federal housing assistance and take remedial measures to end this waste and abuse including referral for immigration enforcement actions reads the Memorandum of Understanding or MOU But local agents are so far unsure of what the memo dubbed American Housing Programs for American Citizens means for their agencies and the city s sanctuary laws Undocumented people are already prohibited from receiving federal housing subsidies directly Eligibility for federal housing assistance is limited to U S citizens and non-citizens with a qualifying immigration status such as a lawful permanent resident also known as a green card holder refugee or asylee among others according to advocates and the city s Department of Housing Preservation and Maturation HPD Immigrants who don t qualify however can live in a household that receives a federal subsidy as long as other members of that household qualify with the amount of aid based on the number of people who are eligible For instance if an immigrant without legal status is living with U S born children who qualify the household would receive a smaller subsidy and pay a higher portion of the rent to take the ineligible family member into account This is known as prorated promotion Their assistance is already pro-rated to only cover eligible household members the Alliance for Housing Justice a national advocacy group commented in a declaration last week in response to the memo saying HUD Secretary Scott Turner is misrepresenting how his agency s programs truly work This isn t about undertaking integrity it s about surveillance fear and falsely blaming immigrant families for the failures of a housing system that puts profits over everyday people the group explained A HUD spokesperson declared that the purpose of the MOU is to establish information sharing between HUD and DHS to ensure illegal aliens are not in inhabitants housing but did not elaborate According to Anna Luft project director of the New York Legal Assistance Group s Citizens Housing Justice Project the memorandum applies to all HUD-subsidized housing including Section also known as the Housing Choice Voucher Venture which provides rental assistance to low- and moderate-income families and population housing officers that run such programs In New York City there are three major community housing bureaucrats The New York City Housing Authority NYCHA which administers a Section activity as well Section populace housing developments HPD and the Division of Housing and Population Renewal DHCR which is part of the the state s affordable housing agency New York State Homes and Public Renewal HCR Only HPD declared it falls within the scope of the MOU A NYCHA spokesperson reported NYCHA is not a party to this MOU despite being the largest citizens housing agency in the city An HCR spokesperson did not specify what the MOU means for its programs only saying that as we continue to monitor the impact of these actions Governor Hochul is fighting to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all New Yorkers According to advocates who spoke with City Limits the memorandum is yet another effort by the Trump administration to target immigrants and doesn t constitute a basis for eviction Even before the referendum Donald Trump was on the campaign trail blaming immigrants for the housing situation and the rising housing costs even though economists and researchers disagree Like various of Trump s proposals in his second term so far this one has roots in his first time in office In the Trump administration proposed a approach rule change that would have essentially banned families with mixed immigration statuses from living in constituents or federally subsidized housing In the Biden administration withdrew Trump s proposed rule so it was never implemented A HUD regulatory impact analysis estimated that approximately households receiving a federal subsidy nationwide had at least one ineligible member Geographically percent of mixed families are concentrated in three states California percent Texas percent and New York percent while the rest is scattered around the country with percent or less mixed families per state reads the HUD s analysis An HPD spokesperson reiterated that HUD regulations for federal rental subsidy programs including Section vouchers already limit eligibility to households with at least one member who has a qualifying immigration status with the housing subsidy a household receives prorated based on the number of eligible members In NYC HPD provides rental vouchers including Section to a total of households a spokesperson detailed Of those approximately have members with eligible immigrant status and about Section households are of mixed immigration status It s unclear whether the city s sanctuary laws which restrict local agencies from sharing identifying information with federal immigration leadership might play a role under the new data-sharing agreement and if so how Because households must declare their citizenship and eligible immigration status when applying HUD already has information on the immigration status of households receiving federal housing benefits according to HPD NYCHA and advocates Both HPD and NYCHA must overview citizenship status information to HUD per HUD voucher rules spokespersons for both agencies explained HPD added that the actual impact of the MOU will depend on how that information is used by HUD and DHS The memorandum details that HUD is devoting just one full-time staffer to this data-sharing effort to help stem the tide of illegal immigration in the United States and incentivize illegal aliens to voluntarily depart the country we enter into this MOU it reads An HPD spokesperson explained HUD hasn t contacted local agencies about the measure and since the MOU is very new its goal right now is to gather information avoid causing harm or panic coordinate with partner populace housing agencies and then communicate with clients though the agency did not provide details on those communication efforts As this is the first time this memorandum of understanding has been in effect there is a great deal of uncertainty Advocates recommend that households consult with immigration attorneys for individualized assessments Our advice for people who are concerned and are living in HUD subsidized housing Luft disclosed is for them to talk to their immigration attorneys and assess what their individual removal hazard is and what they should do To reach the reporter behind this story contact Daniel citylimits org To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint procedures here The post HUD Struck a Data-Sharing Agreement With Immigration Enforcement What Does it Mean for NYC appeared first on City Limits