In what is another of Stephen Miller's wet dreams, the Trump administration has proposed a rule to purge undocumented immigrants from public housing, admitting that would result in more than 55,000 children—who are all legal residents or citizens—being displaced and potentially homeless.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson says this would "make certain our scarce public resources help those who are legally entitled to it." The children who make up half of the households who face eviction and homelessness are legally qualified for the aide, the agency itself concluded. As long as one member of the household is a lawful resident or citizen—and the children born in the U.S. of undocumented immigrants are definitely that—these families currently qualify for the housing subsidy, prorated to cover the eligible residents. Miller's new rule insists that every member of the household have "eligible immigration status."
Never mind the children, because Miller and the whole white supremacist Trump team view children as particularly powerful political weapons, whether they're in cages or now on the streets. That's even with the Department acknowledging that it's going to cause homelessness: "HUD expects that fear of the family being separated would lead to prompt evacuation by most mixed households," the agency says flat-out in its analysis. "Temporary homelessness could arise for a household, if they are unable to find alternative housing."
It's a particularly cruel new way for the Trump team to try to force self-deportation, one that will be hugely disruptive for the citizen children who are going to see their families ripped apart should this rule be implemented.