When former Maravilla Housing Development resident Julia (prefers to not share last name) read a letter from the agency that manages the public housing development where she grew up, informing her that her parents' citizen status could legally be disclosed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), she felt scared.
“But I'm used to it,” she told L.A. TACO during an interview. “Growing up there, you gave up your privacy.”
The letter explains that, due to a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Homeland Security (DHS), “there may be an increase in data sharing between the agencies specific to the citizenship status of participants in housing programs,” including Maravilla residents like Julia’s family.
Sierra no longer lives at Maravilla, but both her parents still do.
“I'm just concerned for most of the community,” she says.
The notice, which landed on the doorstep of Julia’s parents just days after federal police began a series of violent raids targeting Latinos in L.A., came from the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA), an independent county agency that manages the Maravilla Housing Project and other housing developments across L.A. County.
Nearly 70 percent of LACDA’s funding comes from the federal government, with more than 60 percent of that funding given by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), according to the agency’s website.
The notice emphasizes that "there is currently no new data-sharing policy between HUD and DHS in effect at this time,” and that the MOU “does not specifically state how HUD and DHS will collaborate.”
Additionally, the MOU is not changing any laws or regulations, as noted in the letter.
A spokesperson for LACDA confirmed with L.A. TACO that they currently do not “share data with DHS” and the new MOU “does not require LACDA to share any information” with the federal agency, nor does it change what they already share with HUD.
Currently, all public housing applicants are required to fill out a “Family Report” form with HUD. The form requires applicants to include the names of family members in their household, as well as other personal information, including citizenship.
In their letter to residents, which was sent out on June 10, LACDA included the websites of four immigrant rights organizations, as well as the public library’s New American Initiative. A spokesperson also added that LACDA is providing Red Cards printed in Spanish and English to all of their public housing management offices.
The letter from LACDA stirred the quiet streets of East Los Angeles, a community that is already on high-alert given rampart ICE raids and abductions over the past two weeks.
“I've seen cholos stepping up to protect the hood,” says Julia. “They are rolling around on their bikes, telling people not to open their doors.”
The letter and recent ICE raids are a result of the president’s drastic policy shifts and increased militarization of immigration enforcement.
In February, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “ending taxpayer subsidization of open borders.” The executive order cited a law that generally prohibits undocumented immigrants from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits.
“My administration will uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans,” the executive order reads.
As a result of this executive order, on March 24, HUD and DHS signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining their partnership moving forward.
“To advance President Trump's promise to protect critical taxpayer-funded housing programs designed to assist American citizens, we commit to ending the wasteful misappropriation of taxpayer dollars to benefit illegal aliens instead of assisting American citizens, especially veterans, in need,” the MOU reads.
Although the MOU was signed on March 24, Sierra and her parents only found out about all of this in early June, when they received the letter from LACDA.
This news comes just days after Governor Gavin Newsom’s office posted an advisory addressed to undocumented recipients of Medicaid.
“President Donald Trump’s administration this week provided deportation officials with personal data—including the immigration status—on millions of Medicaid enrollees, a move that could make it easier to locate people as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown,” the governor warned.
“The only thing that scares me the most is that, since it is public housing, [management] can just let them,” Julia says. “The main office has all the keys to all the units. They sometimes don't even ask to come in; they just let you know they will be there to work on something. So, imagine if they were forced to cooperate, they could trick people into thinking they are maintenance workers and sneak in that way.”According to a LACDA spokesperson, the agency “has no legal authority to stop the federal police” from entering their properties.
