Perhaps just as impactful as illegal migration across our nation’s porous southern border is the manner in which some of those illegal aliens proceed to game the system. Once across the border, some illegal immigrants take advantage of taxpayer-funded government benefits that are intended solely for American citizens. Accordingly — and in line with President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy — some government departments and agencies are looking closely for ways in which they can change certain rules or close various loopholes to stop this exploitation.

The Daily Caller reported exclusively that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, led by Secretary Ben Carson, is one of those departments aiming to prevent ineligible illegal aliens from further taking advantage of benefits designed for citizens and certain classes of eligible non-citizens.

According to Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act, first passed into law in 1980, most non-citizens were prohibited from applying for and obtaining federal financial housing assistance. By virtue of “mixed family” households that include both citizens or eligible non-citizens as well as ineligible illegal aliens, the prohibition has been skirted by some. Consequently, there are illegal aliens that inappropriately receive federal housing subsidies.

The HUD department is expected to produce a proposal in the near future which would crack down on that particular loophole. Such a proposal would make sure that anyone who is not eligible to receive federal benefits cannot even live in households that do receive those benefits — even if that individual is not the direct recipient.

This proposal would reportedly bring ineligible illegal aliens’ exploitation of benefits to an end by forcing all households receiving such benefits — particularly those households where illegal aliens reside — to either comply with the new rule or vacate the subsidized housing unit entirely.

HUD will use what is called the SAVE program — Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements — to screen all subsidy-receiving households for compliance. In other words, every household that receives benefits will have to prove that each family member residing in the household is either a U.S. citizen or a legal non-citizen who falls into one of the various categories of eligibility. Should any of the benefit-receiving households be found to not be in compliance, and one or more family members do not qualify as eligible, then there is an appeals process that can be pursued.

Ultimately, however, federal assistance will cease if the non-compliance is not rectified.

This new proposal would seem to be 100 percent in line with the Trump administration’s “America First” policy.

It is worth noting that, according to HUD statistics, there are estimated to be millions of eligible American citizens who are currently stuck on waiting lists for housing subsidies simply because there are not enough resources available to the department to process and provide benefits to all who are eligible. In other words, already limited resources for deserving citizens have been stretched even thinner by illegal aliens and their enablers who have figured out how to game the system — leaving some citizens out in the cold.

That particular sentiment was ironically posited by liberal actress/singer Cher in a recent tweet — and subsequently retweeted by President Trump in hilarious fashion — after Trump had suggested sending all detained illegal migrants to live in sanctuary cities. Trump’s suggestion sparked a hypocritical “not in my backyard” response from many Democrats.

“This proposal gets to the whole point Cher was making in her tweet that the President retweeted. We’ve got our own people to house and we need to take care of our citizens,” an unnamed Trump administration official told The Daily Caller.

“Because of past loopholes in HUD guidance, illegal aliens were able to live in free public housing desperately needed by so many of our own citizens. As illegal aliens attempt to swarm our borders, we’re sending the message that you can’t live off of American welfare on the taxpayers’ dime,” the official added.

As Cher aptly noted in her tweet, there’s an overwhelming number of American citizens in dire need of assistance, some of whom are left wanting as limited resources are taken by illegal aliens that don’t deserve them. Cracking down on the exploitation of federal benefits by illegal aliens will help go a long way toward being able to adequately provide for our own citizens in need.

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