Americans priced out while foreigners pour in: Trump admin report slams Biden for spike in rental costs

The Trump administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development blames rising housing and rental prices on the surge in immigration under Biden.

HUD published the “Worst Case Housing Needs: 2025 Report to Congress” in November, a biennial report that analyzes problems impacting low-income renting families. It defines renters with worst-case needs as those who do not receive government housing assistance and spend more than half of their income on rent or live in severely inadequate conditions, or both.

‘The unchecked illegal immigration and open borders policies allowed by the Biden administration continue to put significant strain on housing, pricing out American families.’

HUD argued that the uptick in immigration caused increases in housing demand and, in turn, prices.

“Between 2021 and 2024, the foreign-born population of the United States increased by more than six 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,” HUD reported.

The department stated that the country’s foreign-born population has grown by 20 million since 2000, representing a 40% increase.

In some regions of the U.S., such as California and New York, immigrants account for up to 100% of the rental growth and over 50% of all owner-occupied growth, HUD added. Nationwide, immigration accounts for two-thirds of rental demand growth, according to the department.

The median monthly housing cost for renters in 2021 was $1,184, increasing nearly 17.5% to $1,391 in 2023, according to the report.

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Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

“The growth in households attributable to noncitizens was 13% between 2019 and 2023, compared to 7% between 2015 and 2019. This further demonstrates that noncitizen households are playing an increasing role in the household growth that is straining the affordable housing supply,” the report read.

HUD’s report cited several other contributing factors to the affordable rental crisis, including demand-side housing subsidies and the decline in marriage.

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President Donald Trump, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner told Fox News Digital, “The unchecked illegal immigration and open borders policies allowed by the Biden administration continue to put significant strain on housing, pricing out American families.”

“These policies have plagued America’s housing market, but in President Trump, Americans finally have a leader fighting to restore sanity to American immigration policy,” he added.

Turner stated that in 2025, HUD has supported one million homebuyers, including through first-time buyer and refinancing programs. He has called on the Federal Reserve to cut rates to continue the momentum toward affordability.

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