By Gabriel Canaan
FAIR
Last week, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner laid out findings from the department’s annual report to Congress that heavily focused on the negative relationship between mass migration and housing affordability. Specifically, in recent interviews with Fox News and Fox Business, Secretary Turner highlighted how illegal immigration and the rapid increase in the foreign-born population of the United States under the Biden administration place increased strain on the housing market.
The report and Secretary Turner’s comments closely align with FAIR’s recent analysis on the relationship between mass migration and increased housing costs. FAIR’s study shows a housing shortfall of 4.7 million units, which is made far more severe by sustained high levels of immigration. This shortfall is particularly acute in metropolitan areas least able to handle a sudden population influx. The disparity between demand caused by increased foreign-born population, and supply, is stark, as FAIR’s study shows:
The Census Bureau estimated international migration in 2024 (still subject to undercounting) exceeded 3 million people, far above legal immigration alone, and accounted for 84 percent of population growth from 2023 to 2024. Meanwhile, total housing built in 2024 stood at only 1.6 million new units.
The Biden border crisis especially harmed renters, since approximately 90 percent of recent immigrants, both legal and illegal, were more likely to be renters than buyers. As Secretary Scott noted, HUD’s recently released report, titled “Worst Case Housing Needs,” lists mass immigration as one of the main culprits behind rising demand for housing:
Between 2021 and 2024, the foreign-born population of the United States increased by more than 6 million—the largest such increase over such a short period in American history. The foreign-born population now stands at more than 53 million individuals, making up the highest share of the American population in history. This immigration-driven increase in households has contributed to a significant increase in housing demand, thus driving up housing prices. In fact, in some markets, immigration has accounted for nearly all of the increase in housing demand in recent years.
These reports make clear that immediate steps are needed to further cut mass migration in order to address unsustainable housing costs. Fortunately, this administration’s quick action to reverse the Biden administration’s disastrous anti-border policies are yielding results. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this administration’s policies have led to the first decline in the foreign-born population in over 50 years. “Thanks to aggressive enforcement, streamlined deportation protocols, and the restoration of real border security, hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens have been deported and over 2 million more have self-deported rather than face certain removal.”
FAIR looks forward to continuing to work with the Trump administration to set forth immigration policies based on protecting American communities and advancing the interests of American citizens.
To read FAIR’s housing affordability paper, click here. To read FAIR’s housing handout, click here.
