Donald Trump’s persecution of immigrants takes an even uglier turn

| 6:04 pm EDT May 12, 2019
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Whenever you look into the Trump administration’s immigration policies, they’re always much worse than you previously imagined. We’ve dealt with an administration that has separated families, locked kids in cages, and lied about it – all the hallmarks of an authoritarian government. They’re directly responsible for the deaths of children apprehended at the border – but as vile as it is, it’s not satisfying enough for Trump’s right-hand man, Stephen Miller, who’s proposing a policy even more draconian than what’s already being carried out.

Aside from simply punishing people who come across the border in search of asylum and a better life, Donald Trump’s Department of Housing and Urban Development is currently planning to evict undocumented immigrants who live in public housing. Trump supporters like to rationalize these policies by saying how they should’ve never entered the country illegally in the first place, and many will likely welcome this new racist policy – but the most adverse side-effect it will have is making the children of these undocumented immigrants homeless – many of whom are legal permanent residents of the United States, if not American citizens.

The HUD’s own estimate says there are over 55,000 children in public housing who fit this description. The new rule, which would require all family members to be citizens in order to qualify for public housing benefits, could also cause those in public housing to flee, fearing that their family could be separated. Citizens too have reason to worry, as evicting families where only some members qualify for subsidies and replacing them with families where all members qualify would increase costs for the HUD – up to $227 million a year, offering a higher cost for poorer and fewer services, as reported by the Washington Post.

As reprehensible as the policy is, fewer things display the immediate cost of buying into the bigotry and lies we’ve come to expect from the Trump administration. He satisfies the prejudices of his supporters who are hurt directly by his policies in the long run. It’s also proof that this administration is testing the waters to see who else it can get away with harming. The law is only in proposal stage and the public is allowed to comment on the HUD website until July 9. If you do nothing else, be one of the people who speaks out against it.