Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Sec. Scott Turner has announced the end of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages for any “non-permanent residents,” effectively eliminating illegal aliens’ access to the taxpayer-funded program.
HUD reversed the Biden-era policy on Wednesday to further close the gap that allowed wiggle room for illegal migrants to purchase American homes with the FHA-backed loans, Turner told the National Review.
“There will be no more illegal aliens getting HUD-backed home loans,” said the secretary, a former Texas state representative and NFL player. “The Biden administration exploited taxpayer resources and manipulated FHA policy to allow illegal aliens to ride the coattails of the American taxpayer when financing on a home.”
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Jeffrey D. Little noted in a mortgagee letter that the FHA “does not retain citizenship or residency data from the loan application,” so the number of non-permanent residents who received the insured loans in the past is unknown.
“This update ensures that FHA’s mortgage insurance programs are administered in accordance with Administration priorities while fulfilling its mission of providing access to homeownership,” he wrote.
The revised FHA eligibility requirements, which will take effect on May 25, will also apply to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients as well as people whose asylum or refugee status is pending.
“For those who play by the rules and work hard to purchase a home, it is unconscionable. HUD will continue to implement President Trump’s executive order ending taxpayer subsidization of open borders and protecting the American Dream of homeownership,” Turner said.
The department’s X page also shared the policy change, stating that it ensures that “HUD resources go to Americans, and Americans only”:
The news comes just a day after Turner and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Sec. Kristi Noem jointly announced the “American Housing Programs for American Citizens” memorandum to prevent taxpayer money from funding housing for illegal migrants:
As part of the joint effort, HUD will provide a full-time staff member to assist in operations at the Incident Command Center (ICC), establishing an “interagency partnership to facilitate data sharing and ensure taxpayer-funded housing programs are not used to harbor or benefit illegal aliens.”
“The Biden Administration prioritized illegal aliens over our own citizens, including by giving illegal aliens taxpayer-funding housing at the expense of Americans. Not anymore,” Noem said. “The entire government will work together to identify abuse and exploitation of public benefits and make sure those in this country illegally are not receiving federal benefits or other financial incentives to stay illegally. If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now. The gravy train is over.”
A 2023 study from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) revealed that 60 percent of illegal alien households receive welfare, compared to 39 percent of households headed by native-born Americans.
Vice President JD Vance said that politicians must “be honest” about the role mass immigration plays in driving up housing costs for Americans while addressing the National League of Cities (NLC) Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C. on March 10.
“One of the drivers of increased housing demand, we know, is that we’ve got a lot of people over the last four years who have come into the country illegally, and that’s something we have to work on if we want to meaningfully reduce the cost of housing, too,” Vance told the audience of local officials.
Globalist magazine The Economist admitted that Vance was correct, acknowledging in a March 13 article that the “post-pandemic wave of migration has coincided with rising house prices… the rise in costs makes housing less affordable for natives.”
“The Economist concedes the obvious: immigration drives up housing costs,” said CIS research chief Steven Camarata.
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