Trump admin bars illegal migrants and non-permanent residents from receiving taxpayer-backed mortgages 

The Trump administration will no longer allow illegal migrants to receive Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced Wednesday.

“Today, HUD terminated Biden’s taxpayer-backed FHA mortgages for illegal aliens,” Turner wrote on X. “American taxpayers will no longer subsidize open borders by offering home loans to those who enter our nation illegally.”

A HUD official informed FHA-approved mortgage lenders on Tuesday that the agency will also no longer consider any “non-permanent resident” eligible for the government-backed, low-income home loans. 

“Currently, non-permanent residents are subject to immigration laws that can affect their ability to remain legally in the country,” Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Jeffrey Little wrote in a letter to mortgagees. “This uncertainty poses a challenge for FHA as the ability to fulfill long-term financial obligations depends on stable residency and employment.”

Little noted that it’s unclear how many non-permanent residents have received FHA mortgages, but added that going forward, none will. 

“In the past, FHA’s residency requirements have required Mortgagees to document the Borrower’s lawful residency status demonstrating longterm financial stability and eligibility for federal programs,” he wrote. “FHA does not retain citizenship or residency data from the loan application and therefore does not maintain information on the number of non-permanent residents who have received FHA-insured loans under past policies.” 

“This update ensures that FHA’s mortgage insurance programs are administered in accordance with Administration priorities while fulfilling its mission of providing access to homeownership,” Little added. 

In 2021, the Biden administration ordered FHA mortgage lenders to allow non-permanent residents enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program access to government-backed home loans. 

HUD’s new policy will block DACA recipients – undocumented migrants brought to the US as children – and those with pending asylum claims from access to FHA loans. 

“HUD is prioritizing Americans, not illegal aliens,” Turner wrote in a separate X post. “@POTUS promised to end taxpayer subsidies for illegals, and today, we put an end to illegals receiving FHA home loans.”

The change in policy comes the same week HUD announced that it would work with the Department of Homeland Security to bar illegal migrants from public housing. 

HUD cited data from the Center for Immigration Studies showing that about 59% of illegal migrant households benefit from at least one government welfare program, accounting for roughly $42 billion in costs. 

The agency said there are at least 9 million residents of public and subsidized housing “without proper information sharing to determine eligibility status.”