HUD Sec. Scott Turner: Taxpayers ‘No Longer Footing the Bills’ for Illegal Immigrant Housing

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Scott Turner has announced a new partnership with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to ensure illegal aliens cannot exploit housing programs meant for Americans.

In an interview on Newsmax on Monday, Turner announced that he and Sec. Noem had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) focused on ending “the wasteful misappropriation of taxpayer dollars to benefit illegal aliens instead of American citizens.”

Turner denounced what he described as “terrible” Biden administration immigration and border security policies that prioritized illegal aliens over Americans.

Under the MOU, Turner said he and Sec. Noem would work to to ensure that American taxpayer dollars, particularly those allocated under HUD, will only go to the American people.

The American people are our first and only priority – today we put an end to illegal aliens living in HUD funded housing. pic.twitter.com/SlHcLijli0

— Scott Turner (@SecretaryTurner) March 25, 2025

A press release, from HUD stated, “As part of this new agreement, HUD will provide a full-time staff member to assist in operations at the Incident Command Center (ICC), establishing an interagency partnership to facilitate data sharing and ensure taxpayer-funded housing programs are not used to harbor or benefit illegal aliens.”

The press release also states that recent data from the Center for Immigration Studies shows about 59% of illegal alien households are on one or more welfare programs at a cost to taxpayers of roughly $42 billion.

According to the HUD press release, there are nearly 9 million residents of public and subsidized housing who lack the proper information to determine their eligibility status.

Turner indicated that, under the Trump administration, Americans will no longer take a back seat to illegal aliens, adding, “This agreement will leverage resources including technology and personnel to ensure American people are the only priority when it comes to public housing. We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first.”

The agreement comes a month after President Trump signed an executive order directing government departments to “ensure taxpayer resources are not used to incentivize or support illegal immigration.”

The American taxpayer is no longer footing the bill for illegal aliens in public housing. pic.twitter.com/yhcwJaPPDA

— Scott Turner (@SecretaryTurner) March 25, 2025