OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is proposing a HUD rule change to ban households with at least one undocumented member, from public housing and rental assistance.
- The current mixed-status rule allows pro-rated assistance for eligible family members, a policy that has stood for decades and applies to at least 100,000 people nationwide.
- About five million households in the U.S. contain a mix of undocumented residents and U.S. citizens or legal residents, according to the Center for Migration Studies.
- The Trump administration first attempted a similar policy change in 2019, but the plan ultimately stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simultaneously this week, HUD Deputy Secretary Andrew Hughes issued an internal memo directing that English be designated as the sole language for all HUD services and operations.
- According to the New York Times, HUD will no longer provide any material in languages other than English and will no longer have contracts for translation services for documents or communications.
- HUD will continue to provide services to people with visual and hearing impairments and follow other legal requirements.
- This policy change stems from President Trump’s executive order designating English as the official language, along with Justice Department guidance eliminating previous requirements for limited English proficiency accommodations.
