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March 3, 2026 / 1:37 PM PST / CBS LA
Los Angeles community members, advocates, and city leaders gathered on Tuesday to call attention to proposed changes in federal public housing and Section 8 rental assistance for some immigrant residents.
Last month, HUD Secretary Scott Turner proposed that every resident in HUD-assisted housing provide proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status. Anyone applying for or currently living in HUD-assisted housing will have to prove their immigration status, regardless of age.
"With this proposed rule, HUD will ensure that taxpayer-funded housing benefits only go to American citizens and eligible individuals for the first time in history," the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wrote on its website.
Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez called it a cruel, reckless policy. "No HUD, we are not going to allow you to break up families," she said. "Here in LA, thousands of people could face eviction. In some public housing communities, one out of every three families could be pushed out into the streets."
The new HUD rule would affect "mixed-status" families, households that include both members eligible and ineligible for housing assistance based on immigration status, from living in public and other subsidized housing.
Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said he lived in a mixed-status family for a large part of his life. "My family and friends have lived in mixed-status families, and so I know what that's about."
"This policy doesn't solve a problem, it creates one, as 6,800 people are at risk of being ripped out of their homes here in Los Angeles alone."
The councilman encouraged public comment to "flood" the system before the April 21 deadline. "Volume matters, participation matters, and pressure matters," Soto-Martinez said. "By law, HUD must review and respond to every public comment before this rule can come forward."
The United States government online comment page is located at: [Regulations.gov](https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/HUD-2026-0199-0001)