LOS ANGELES - Today, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez, Tim McOsker, Monica Rodriguez, and Ysabel Jurado introduced an emergency Rule 23 resolution in City Council calling for immediate action to oppose a proposed federal rule change that threatens to displace thousands of mixed-status immigrant families from public housing.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s proposed rule, ‘Housing and Community Development Act of 1980: Verification of Eligible Status,’ would mandate aggressive citizenship verification for every household member, effectively barring mixed-status families from federal housing if even one family member has an ineligible immigration status.
“At a time when we are fighting every day to keep people housed, the federal government is proposing a policy that does the exact opposite – and the cruelty is the point,” said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. “This mandate would force local housing authorities to act as immigration enforcers, waste millions on verification red tape, and destabilize vulnerable tenants, all while building zero new housing. Los Angeles will not participate in a manufactured crisis designed to punish working-class immigrant families. We protect our own.”
“The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s proposed rule extends the Trump administration’s family separation agenda into our own homes,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. “Weaponizing public housing to force families with mixed immigration statuses to choose between housing stability and remaining together undermines the fundamental promise of public housing as a source of safety and security. I will continue advancing policies that keep families together and honor our family values."
“Los Angeles stands firm in our support of immigrants and folks who are housing insecure,” said Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. “Not only is HUD’s proposed policy a demonstration of unabashed cruelty—to tell 25,000 households, 46% children, that they do not deserve a home because of the status of their family—but it is also a reckless policy that erodes the foundation of a healthy society, economy, and country.”
“As someone who grew up in a mixed-status household, this is deeply personal for me,” said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, who seconded the resolution. “This rule would rip housing away from thousands of families like mine and push them closer to homelessness.”
“In Council District 14, we see every day how hard families fight to stay housed. This proposal would make that fight even harder, pushing already-vulnerable households closer to the brink in the middle of a housing crisis,” said Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. “I am committed to protecting housing stability, opposing policies that tear families apart, and ensuring our communities are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.”
The impact of the rule is expected to be devastating on a national scale, affecting an estimated 25,000 families. Data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicates that 96% of those affected are people of color, 86% are Latine, and nearly half are children. In Los Angeles, approximately 1,700 families currently residing in Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) units are mixed-status and are at risk of losing their housing under this proposed rule.
The resolution further directs HACLA and the City Attorney to prepare and file comments on the proposed rule. It is the latest action by the City of Los Angeles to protect Angelenos from the impact of changes to federal housing policies; the City Council adopted an identical resolution in 2019 opposing a similar rule change. That prior rule ultimately did not take effect due to the united advocacy of tenant rights organizations and government leaders.
Read the full resolution here.