A proposed change to housing assistance would split mixed-status families.

As President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda continues, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development revived a proposal that could impact mixed-status immigrant families. “The proposed rule seems intended to send the message that immigrants, regardless of status, are not welcome,” a group of attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation wrote in a letter to HUD.

In February, HUD proposed to request proof of citizenship or eligible immigration status for all family members who are receiving federal housing assistance, including Section 8, to close “loopholes.”

The change would require proof of citizenship (which is currently self-attested under penalty of perjury). Landlords and public housing authorities would verify it using the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement, or SAVE, where applicants would submit proof of eligibility.

Housing advocates say it would make it more difficult to apply, mostly impacting minorities, children, the elderly, domestic violence survivors and people with disabilities.

According to HUD, the changes would impact 55,100 eligible individuals from mixed-status households, in which not everyone has legal status. The California Association of Housing Authorities opposes the change and notes that 36 percent of the impacted families, or 7,190, are in California.

The Housing Authority of the County of Monterey estimates that 99 people in 81 families could be affected by the policy change, about 2 percent of local families receiving assistance.

HACM Executive Director Zulieka Boykin says affected families would have a difficult decision to make: either split their family if not all members of the household have legal status, or leave the program, which could result in homelessness.

“If the child is the only one that is a citizen, that whole family will have to come off the program. With the price of rent – especially here in Monterey County – that would really hurt that particular family,” Boykin says.

Current policy allows mixed-household individuals to apply for benefits and receive a prorated amount for those who qualify (similar to other federal programs such as CalFresh and Medi-Cal).

A public comment period closed on April 21. A similar proposal failed in 2019 after the majority of 30,000-plus comments, 95 percent, were against the measure.