LA city officials, advocates oppose proposed HUD rule that would force noncitizens from public housing

LOS ANGELES () — Community members and city leaders in Los Angeles Tuesday called on the public to oppose a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that would limit public housing mostly to citizens.

The rule would require every resident in HUD-funded housing to show proof of citizenship or eligible status.

Community advocates said mixed-status families – households that include both citizens and noncitizens – are already living with fear and uncertainty amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. They warned that the rule change could force evictions.

“This administration is seeking a rule change that would put 1,700 local families with children on the street immediately,” Pastor Bridie Roberts with Unite Here Local 11 said at a press conference outside L.A. City Hall.

L.A. City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado noted that “nearly one in five public housing households in our city is mixed status.”

Mixed-status families joined councilmembers at the event to share their experiences.

“It’s not just my family. It’s thousands of families who are at risk,” Josefina Estrada said in Spanish.

Estrada said moving into public housing was a blessing after living in an expensive one-bedroom apartment with her husband and their children.

City officials said the impact of the proposed federal change would extend beyond housing.

L.A. City Councilmember Tim McOsker said it “would put families out on the street, would decrease our public safety, would increase poverty.”

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez introduced a resolution, which the council adopted, opposing the proposal.

“Immigrants are not your enemy. Your neighbor in public housing is not your enemy. The family using Section 8 is not your enemy. Mixed-status families are not your enemy,” Hernandez said.

The City Council took similar action in 2019 when the first Trump administration proposed the rule. Those gathered Tuesday urged the public to submit comments in the Federal Register by April 21.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.