As members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC), we strongly oppose the proposed rule issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that would prohibit mixed-status families from residing in federally assisted housing. This policy would force families to choose between staying together and keeping a roof over their heads. It does not target ineligible individuals.
Instead, it strips housing from eligible Texans, including U.S. citizen children, and destabilizes working families already struggling to afford housing in our state. This rule punishes Texas families who are following the law and doing everything right.
For decades, federal housing policy allowed mixed-status families to live together, with assistance prorated based on eligible household members. This rule would end that approach by denying assistance to entire households if even one member is ineligible. Individuals without eligible status are already barred from receiving federal housing assistance, so this change does not address misuse of the program.
Instead, it removes support from families who qualify under current law.
In Texas, this rule will have immediate and widespread consequences. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, approximately 4,500 Texas households would lose access to housing assistance under this proposal. Nationally, nearly 80,000 individuals would be affected, including more than 52,000 U.S. citizens and over 36,000 children. Families will lose their homes because of who is in their household, not because they failed to meet eligibility requirements. Parents will face a choice between keeping their family together and maintaining stable housing.
Many of the families affected are part of the state’s workforce, working in construction, hospitality, health care, and service industries that rely on stable housing. When families lose that stability, workers lose jobs, miss shifts, or must relocate, creating disruption for employers and local economies. In many mixed-status households, the primary earner supports the entire family but does not qualify for assistance.
When that stability breaks down, families lose that income and face greater reliance on public assistance. This policy shifts costs to local governments, emergency services, and community-based providers that will be left to respond to the fallout.
Many of the impacted households in Texas are Latino and concentrated in high-cost housing markets, where families are already on the edge of losing their homes. Texas is already facing a severe shortage of affordable housing. This rule would further restrict access to limited housing options without increasing supply or improving program outcomes. The proposed verification requirements will add administrative burdens for families and housing providers. These changes create confusion, increase costs, and delay assistance for eligible households, raising the risk of wrongful denials.
This is not sound housing policy. It increases housing instability, separates families, and targets immigrant communities in ways that will ripple through Texas’ economy, disrupt the workforce, and destabilize communities.
We urge HUD to withdraw this proposed rule and stop taking housing away from eligible Texas families.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus
Editor’s Note: The above letter was penned by members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus and sent to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regulations Division on April 21, 2026. It relates to HUD Docket No. FR-6524-P-01, RIN 2501-AE16 Comments in Response to Proposed Rulemaking: Housing and Community Development Act of 1980: Verification of Eligible Status.
