Payam Javan: The Trump administration has unveiled a new policy to terminate taxpayer-funded housing for illegal immigrants, as announced on Monday. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed the “American Housing Programs for American Citizens” memorandum of understanding (MOU), aiming to redirect resources to benefit U.S. citizens amid the nation’s housing crisis. The officials criticized the previous exploitation of housing programs, with Turner emphasizing that American tax dollars should prioritize citizens, while Noem accused the Biden administration of neglecting Americans in need.

Under the new HUD-DHS partnership, a full-time HUD staff member will support the Incident Command Center to enhance data-sharing and ensure housing programs exclude illegal immigrants. This move follows a February executive order from President Trump directing federal agencies to eliminate financial benefits for illegal immigrants, citing data from the Center for Immigration Studies. The data revealed that 59 percent of illegal immigrant households access welfare programs, costing approximately $42 billion and driving up housing costs by increasing demand in immigrant-heavy areas, exacerbating issues in the 9 million subsidized housing units nationwide.