Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner declared this week that "American houses are for American people," defending the Trump administration's argument that cracking down on illegal immigration will bring down housing costs.

Turner's comments came as he promoted a Federal Reserve working paper that examined the connection between unauthorized immigration and housing markets. The research, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, found that increased flows of undocumented workers drove up rents and home prices in affected metro areas during the Biden administration.

The Federal Reserve Study

The Dallas Fed working paper examined how unauthorized immigrant worker flows affected housing and labor markets across metropolitan areas. Economists found that what they described as an "unprecedented boom in unauthorized immigration" during the Biden years contributed to higher rents and housing prices.

The Washington Post reported that while the study does show a correlation between immigration surges and housing costs, the relationship is more nuanced than the administration's messaging suggests. The paper examines regional effects and does not claim immigration was the primary driver of the national housing crisis.

Still, the Trump administration has seized on the research as evidence supporting its approach. Turner cited the study as proof that removing undocumented immigrants from the housing market will relieve pressure on American families struggling with affordability.

HUD's December Report

Turner first made the immigration-housing connection a centerpiece of his tenure in December 2025, releasing a HUD report finding that foreign-born residents accounted for 60 percent of rental demand growth in recent years. He argued at the time that "unchecked illegal immigration" was "pricing out families."

The December report stated that removing undocumented immigrants from housing programs was necessary to protect taxpayer funds, enforce existing laws, and ensure Americans receive welfare benefits. HUD has since partnered with the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem to audit public housing for legal residency status.

Critics Push Back

Housing economists have offered mixed assessments of the administration's claims. While immigration does add to housing demand, experts note that the fundamental cause of high prices is insufficient supply. Decades of underbuilding, restrictive zoning, and regulatory barriers have left the country millions of homes short of what is needed.

The BBC reported that Trump recently cancelled signing a "landmark bill aimed at lowering housing costs" that would have taken a different approach, focusing on increasing supply through federal facilitation of construction. One expert quoted in the piece noted that the cancelled legislation, while not a quick fix, represented "a crucial first step at the federal level to facilitate some important actions to add housing supply."

The Political Calculation

Turner's framing serves the broader Trump agenda of linking immigration enforcement to kitchen-table economic concerns. Housing affordability consistently ranks among voters' top issues, and the administration sees an opportunity to connect border security to pocketbook anxiety.

Whether the immigration crackdown delivers meaningful relief remains to be seen. Even the Dallas Fed study notes that housing markets respond to many factors beyond immigration. But for the Trump administration, the political argument is clear. If American families are struggling to afford homes, pointing to illegal immigration offers both an explanation and a solution that aligns with the President's signature issue.