By Hannah Davis
FAIR
The state of Oregon is funding a program that provides $30,000 in down payment assistance to illegal aliens and legal aliens. The program is being administered by the Hacienda Community Development Corporation (HCDC), a nonprofit in Portland, to first-time homebuyers using hundreds of thousands of dollars granted to the organization by Oregon Business, the state’s economic development agency.
HCDC received taxpayer dollars for its loan program through S.B. 1579, a law adopted by the Oregon legislature in 2022. That law directs Oregon Business to implement an “Economic Equity Investment Program” to award grants to organizations that provide “culturally responsive services to support economic stability, self-sufficiency, wealth building and economic equity among disadvantaged individuals, families, businesses and communities in this state. “The grants must be for the purpose of providing “outreach, support and resources” to those whose future is at risk due to “economic equity risk factors.” One of the “economic equity risk factors” is citizenship.
In May 2023, Hacienda Community Development Corporation received a grant of nearly $700,000 through the Economic Equity Investment Program to provide 21 eligible beneficiaries down payment assistance for a loan. According to the contract HCDC signed with the state, HCDC is required to work with lending institutions that provide home loans to borrowers with individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITINs). ITINs are identification numbers issued by the IRS to illegal aliens upon request to enable them to file tax returns.
Loud objections to HCDC’s down payment program were raised when HDCD released an official flyer which stated the program was only for non-citizens, including aliens with no legal status. Shortly thereafter, HCDC released a statement, clarifying that the flyer it printed was erroneous, that the program is for every Oregonian, and that it “does not exclude U.S. citizens.” And in an interview, HCDC’s chief executive officer said that 14 of the recipients were ITIN holders, while the remaining 7 had Social Security numbers. He did not specify, however, whether the recipients with Social Security numbers are illegal aliens or not, as many illegal aliens (such as DACA beneficiaries, aliens with Temporary Protected Status, and parolees) can obtain Social Security numbers.
However, this clarification does not change the fact that Oregon is using taxpayer money to help illegal aliens buy homes. The program unfairly benefits individuals who have entered the country illegally, encourages more illegal immigration and strains resources that should be directed to law-abiding residents.
Oregon State Representative Ed Diehl (R-17) objected to the program, telling the Daily Caller, “American citizens in Oregon are struggling to find and buy a home. We have a severe housing shortage in this state. I am appalled that the hard-earned, limited tax dollars of Oregonians are being used to prioritize home ownership for certain non-US citizens. Oregon can’t end this state-sponsored discrimination soon enough.”
In fact, Rep. Diehl spoke with the CEO of HCDC last week, and learned that HCDC believed that by orienting the program towards non-citizens, the organization was fulfilling the intent of the state’s program. In response, Rep. Diehl stated, “Unfortunately, the state’s [] program discriminates based upon race and citizenship,” and “gives preferential treatment to non-U.S. citizens.” He added, “Leadership did not want to have an open discussion about the unconstitutionality of this bill,” and that “justice is not being served with the EEIP.”
Economists are beginning to recognize how mass immigration is driving up housing costs. In April, The Economist published an article on how mass immigration is increasing the cost of rental housing. It notes that research by Goldman Sachs suggests that in Australia, each 100,000 increase in annual net migration increases rents by about 1 percent. In addition, the Bank of Canada recently noted that: ‘The initial rise in immigration that Canada has experienced is more likely inflationary in the near term.’” This is backed up by evidence from other areas, including Mexico’s southern border where migrants from other parts of Latin America drove up prices for local residents.
The National Association of Realtors released data in June, revealing that home prices across the U.S. have hit record highs- making it extremely difficult for first-time homebuyers to acquire loans and purchase homes. While various reasons play into the housing crisis, mass illegal immigration is an exacerbating factor. Homes are in short supply, yet the demand to buy has steadily increased. As reported by the Washington Examiner, “Some estimates suggest immigration may increase overall housing demand by around 500,00 units per year.” The real estate company Zillow ranks Portland, the state’s largest city, among the top ten worst cities in the nation for housing.
Since President Biden assumed office, there have been over 10 million nationwide encounters with illegal aliens; which doesn’t include the over 1.8 million gotaways that have entered the nation. These illegal aliens will compete with U.S. citizens for the limited number of homes in Oregon.
Like California’s Dream for All loan program, Oregon is sending a clear message to taxpayers in the state that it is subsidizing illegal immigration. According to FAIR’s 2023 study, 181,000 illegal aliens and their 62,000 U.S. born children cost Oregonians $1.47 billion annually.
