HUD Demands Citizenship Checks for Tenants

On Friday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) instructed public housing authorities to carry out “immediate citizenship checks” on tenants, warning that failure to do so could jeopardize federal funding.

This directive follows an audit by HUD and the Department of Homeland Security, which revealed that around 200,000 tenants receiving government-funded rental assistance need their eligibility confirmed. Among these, there are roughly 25,000 who are deceased and around 6,000 who are non-citizens ineligible for benefits.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner stated, “We will use every means possible.” He emphasized that “unqualified noncitizens have no place on welfare” and stated that this initiative aims to safeguard taxpayer dollars and prioritize citizens.

Ben Hobbs, the assistant secretary for public and Indian housing, described recognizing citizenship as “a significant advancement in prioritizing American families and curbing waste, fraud, and abuse.” He pointed out that many American families are on waiting lists for housing, underlining the need to focus resources on eligible households.

Public housing authorities (PHAs) and owners of HUD-funded properties have a month to rectify the issues identified in the audit.

HUD indicated that compliance with this new mandate will be closely monitored, and those who do not verify tenants’ citizenship may face penalties, such as withholding or reducing federal funds.

Currently, about 970,000 households reside in public housing overseen by about 3,300 PHAs funded by federal dollars.

Last February, then-President Trump signed an executive order directing HUD and other federal agencies to prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing taxpayer-funded benefits. He alleged that the Biden administration has repeatedly undermined this goal, leading to improper government spending on these individuals.