Secretary Turner Outlines HUD’s Plans to Align With EO 14218 on Immigration Policy – Updated
On April 4, 2025, Secretary Turner released a letter informing HUD grantees and stakeholders of the Department’s plans to comply with Executive Order (EO) 14218, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” signed by President Trump on February 19, 2025. The letter states that senior HUD leadership is reviewing programs and instituting mechanisms to ensure programs are compliant with the EO. These mechanisms will include having grant agreements incorporate language that will require compliance with the EO and will also include the Department taking steps to ensure federal resources are not used to support “sanctuary” policies of State and local jurisdictions that actively prevent federal authorities from deporting undocumented individuals.
Currently, no federal funding is used for individuals who are not citizens or otherwise ineligible for assistance. Only eligible US residents qualify for rental assistance from HUD. Families with mixed immigration statuses — families in which some members are eligible for federal assistance and others are not—receive prorated support. This means that funding is adjusted so that only the eligible members receive assistance.
These families can choose not to disclose or contest the immigration status of some members. Even then, they can still receive partial help, based only on the verified eligible members. In some programs, like public housing, this means the family pays a higher rent to make up the difference. The regulations are designed so that people who are not eligible for assistance gain nothing by misrepresenting their immigration status. This ensures that all federal funds are used as required by the law.
According to the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980, if at least one family member’s immigration status has been confirmed as eligible, the ineligibility of other members who have not had their statuses verified should not prohibit the family from receiving prorated assistance. The law does not require that this kind of partial assistance be phased out. The existing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations reflect and enforce this legal framework properly.
NAHRO will also continue to inform the Department that funding for HUD activities, including grants from the Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD), does not go toward supporting “sanctuary” policies.
Recently, NAHRO partnered with a group of housing and law experts on a webinar aimed at helping entities navigate immigration enforcement in PHA properties.
NAHRO and its over 26,000 members remain dedicated to providing safe, decent, and affordable housing to eligible families, and collaborating with federal partners to ensure compliance with all existing laws, rules, and regulations.