In yet another powerful move by the Trump Administration to restore law, order, and fairness to America’s institutions, HUD Secretary Scott Turner is taking decisive action to ensure taxpayer-funded housing goes to American citizens — not illegal aliens gaming the system.
In a sweeping reform announced in late August, Secretary Turner revealed that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will audit public housing programs nationwide to identify and remove illegal immigrants currently receiving federal housing aid. The move comes as part of President Trump’s broader plan to clean up Washington’s bureaucracies, end abuse of taxpayer money, and prioritize American families who’ve been left behind by decades of open-border policies.
Appearing on *Fox News Channel’s* *Jesse Watters Primetime*, Turner laid out the new policy in clear, unapologetic terms: “President Trump is serious — not only about cleaning up crime in our streets, but about ensuring that American citizens come first when it comes to government-funded housing.”
HUD’s order mandates every public housing authority — from Washington, D.C., to small-town America — to review their tenant lists and verify citizenship or legal immigration status. Turner said he has already notified the D.C. Housing Authority, giving officials 30 days to provide “a full, comprehensive account of everyone living in taxpayer-funded housing — names, addresses, number of occupants, unit size, cost, and, crucially, their citizenship or eligible immigration status.”
In his letter, Turner made his mission crystal clear: “No longer will illegal aliens be able to leave citizenship boxes blank or take advantage of HUD-funded housing, riding the coattails of hardworking American citizens.”
The problem, Turner explained, is that the Biden administration’s lax enforcement allowed illegal immigrants to occupy taxpayer-subsidized units while millions of law-abiding Americans — including veterans, seniors, and single mothers — remain on waiting lists. “Currently, HUD only serves one out of four eligible families due, in part, to the lack of enforcement against federally funded assistance for illegal aliens,” Turner said. “That ends now.”
The HUD Secretary also made it clear that the crackdown extends beyond illegal immigrants. “No one engaged in criminal activity is going to live in HUD-funded housing,” he said. “We’re collecting the data to make sure that those breaking the law — whether through immigration violations or criminal acts — are not being rewarded with taxpayer-funded benefits.”
On social media, Turner didn’t mince words. Posting to X, he declared, “D.C. Housing Authority is on notice — we are demanding all citizenship information for residents. The same message is going out to over 3,000 Public Housing Authorities across the country. The taxpayer-funded vacation is over.”
Echoing that sentiment, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem applauded the move, saying back in March that the Trump Administration is united in stopping abuse of public benefits. “If you are an illegal immigrant, you should leave now,” she said. “The gravy train is over.”
After years of reckless open-border policies and taxpayer exploitation under Biden, the Trump team is sending a loud and clear message: America’s housing should go to Americans first.
