The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) finalized a rule, effective December 14, 2026, that repeals existing protections for mixed-status families in federally assisted housing. Under the new rule, households with eligible members, including U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, could lose federal housing assistance if another household member does not have eligible immigration status. The rule also requires verification of every household member’s immigration status, imposing additional documentation burdens on families. Until now, mixed-status families could remain in HUD-assisted housing as long as at least one household member was eligible, with rental assistance prorated to cover those members.
National CAPACD is deeply concerned about the consequences of this rule for low-income immigrant families and the broader communities they belong to in neighborhoods across the country. In April, National CAPACD submitted comments with our coalition members opposing the proposed rule, joining thousands of others in raising concerns about its potential to separate families and destabilize neighborhoods.
National CAPACD Board Member Erich Nakano, from Little Tokyo Service Center in Los Angeles, shares, “By limiting assistance, this change could force mixed-status families to make inhumane choices between losing their homes or putting a family member out on the street to maintain access to housing support. Among other concerns, the rule will affect multigenerational households, like the ones in many of our affordable housing buildings in LA’s Little Tokyo neighborhood, where family members depend on one another for economic security and caregiving. The rule threatens to destabilize families already facing significant barriers to affordable housing and economic opportunity.”
National CAPACD CEO Seema Agnani states, “This rule threatens the housing stability of low-income families, including those in communities that have long faced barriers to housing and economic opportunity. Losing federal rental assistance could have devastating economic and social consequences for families already struggling to afford housing, with ripple effects on the neighborhoods where they reside. HUD should be advancing policies that strengthen families and communities, not putting them at greater risk of displacement and homelessness.”
Stable housing is foundational to strong families, thriving neighborhoods, and communities where everyone belongs. National CAPACD remains committed to advancing policies that protect housing stability, prevent displacement, and ensure all families can remain together and thrive in the places they call home.
For more information about the final rule and its potential impacts on mixed-status families, see the National Housing Law Project’s Know Your Rights resource.