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Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., unveiled sweeping new legislation designed to prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing federal housing assistance and eliminate funding incentives for sanctuary cities. The measure, called the “End Housing Welfare for Illegal Aliens Act,” targets loopholes that currently allow immigrants without legal status to benefit from taxpayer-funded housing programs when living with eligible household members.
According to Hagerty, preliminary estimates indicate that approximately 24,000 undocumented immigrants are currently utilizing Housing and Urban Development programs, effectively displacing American citizens from limited housing resources. The bill would codify enforcement mechanisms proposed by HUD Secretary Scott Turner and make citizenship verification mandatory for all public housing authorities, shifting the legal requirement from permissive to mandatory language.
The legislation specifically targets Section 202 and Section 811 housing programs, which serve low-income elderly and disabled populations. Hagerty argued that undocumented immigrants are displacing disabled American taxpayers and elderly citizens from critical affordable housing assistance.
The bill also would deny Community Development Block Grants to sanctuary cities, eliminating federal funding for affordable housing, infrastructure, and local services. Hagerty contended that the previous administration had created perverse incentives for sanctuary city policies by allowing undocumented immigrants to be counted in census figures used to apportion congressional representation and electoral votes.
A joint HUD and Department of Homeland Security audit identified nearly 200,000 assisted housing tenants with incomplete or unknown citizenship verification, according to agency statements. HUD noted that its housing assistance reaches only one-quarter of eligible American households in need while resources flow to ineligible beneficiaries.
Hagerty’s push aligns with broader Trump administration and Republican Congressional efforts to restrict undocumented immigration nationwide and prevent federal benefits from supporting individuals lacking legal status. The senator expressed confidence the legislation would gain public support if subjected to polling.
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