LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, says it is going to start targeting immigrants without legal status. It's partnering with Homeland Security to help identify such immigrants living in publicly subsidized housing. NPR's Jennifer Ludden is here to explain what this all means. Good morning, Jennifer.
JENNIFER LUDDEN, BYLINE: Good morning.
FADEL: OK. So tell us more about this new partnership. What are they doing?
LUDDEN: Well, it's basically an agreement between these two agencies to make sure no federally funded housing program will, quote, "harbor or benefit illegal aliens." HUD says it's going to begin sharing data with Homeland Security to identify such people who are ineligible for housing aid. Here's HUD Secretary Scott Turner in a video of the signing of the agreement Monday.
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SCOTT TURNER: We have a housing affordability crisis in our country. And so today, we are ensuring that American taxpayer dollars are used to assist the American people.
LUDDEN: A press release cited exploitation of the housing program, and it quoted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem saying, if you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over - so forceful language. But to be clear, this agreement does not actually change current law or policy, and HUD is devoting just one full-time staffer to this effort.
FADEL: OK. So what does the law say about immigrants and federal housing aid and who qualifies for it?
LUDDEN: Immigrants who do not have legal status cannot get federal rental assistance, but they can live with family members who qualify. So, you know, that could be certain legal permanent residents or, of course, those who have become or are U.S. citizens. A really common situation - immigrants without legal status who have U.S.-born children - you know, one or both of those parents may be ineligible for housing aid. And in these kinds of cases, the household gets a smaller subsidy, which means they pay a higher rent to account for family members not eligible.
But even though the language in this agreement between HUD and DHS is pretty vague, it does still send a message. I spoke with Sonya Acosta. She's a senior policy analyst at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
SONYA ACOSTA: What it does do is it intensifies already present fears for people who are immigrants, who are trying to seek services. These sorts of things create a massive chilling effect.
LUDDEN: And immigrant advocates are worried about that. One coalition called Protecting Immigrant Families says their concern is that the Trump administration might push out some immigrants who do have a legal right to live in subsidized housing. And they say, you know, that could drive up homelessness.
FADEL: So how many people are we talking about who might be affected?
LUDDEN: So one estimate is from 2019 because that's when the first Trump administration tried to bar all of these mixed-status immigrant families from subsidized housing. A report by career staff at HUD estimated more than a hundred thousand people would lose housing aid and that most of them would be citizens or legal residents, about half of them children. Now, that proposed rule was never finalized. But many people - housing experts and immigration advocates - they do expect the current Trump administration to try again. And, you know, so maybe this new agreement is a first step in that direction. Last night, a HUD spokesperson would not confirm whether the agency intends to renew that push, but they did say that everything is on the table.
FADEL: NPR's Jennifer Ludden. Thank you, Jennifer.
LUDDEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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