Feb. 26, 2026 | Vol. 30 No. 4 | Archives
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- Act Now: Protect Sensitive Locations—like Health Centers—in DHS Funding
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HUD Mixed-Status Rule and Escalating Attacks on Immigrant Communities
- Two New Announcements from the Trump Administration
- HR 1 Impacts on Health Care and Food Assistance
- What (Else) We’re Reading and Watching
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Act Now: Protect Sensitive Locations—like Health Centers—in DHS Funding |
Earlier this month, Congress passed five appropriation bills to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2026. Critically for the HCH community, these bills included full funding for Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which fund health centers, homeless services, and housing programs. Check out our new FY26 budget chart to see the final funding numbers and how they compare to FY24. This marks a surprising—and welcome—turn of events as Congress more strongly fulfills its role to appropriate government funding.
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As part of those negotiations, Congress stripped out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bill to keep major agencies open while providing additional time to negotiate limits on ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Protection). One key Democratic demand is to prohibit ICE enforcement at sensitive locations, including health care settings, schools, and social services settings (like homeless shelters).
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As Congress negotiates the DHS appropriations bill, now is a critical moment to push back and demand protections for our communities.
Use our new fact sheet to learn more about what sensitive locations are, why these protections are critical, and how ICE activity is impacting the HCH community. Then, call your member of Congress and urge them to:
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Oppose any increase in funding for ICE and CBP enforcement operations.
- Support DHS appropriations language that explicitly prohibits immigration enforcement actions at or near sensitive locations, including health care facilities and social services settings.
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You can contact your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-225-3121, or take action online through an automated action alert from our partners at the National Immigration Law Center. Note: This letter is for EVERYONE to sign—it is not limited to organizations! Please share with partners, family and friends.
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HUD Mixed-Status Rule and Escalating Attacks on Immigrant Communities |
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Newly Proposed Rule: HUD Mixed-Status – Last week, HUD issued a proposed rule to require citizenship or eligible immigration status for every individual in HUD-assisted housing. Estimates show about 80,000 people could lose their housing as a result. Prior to the rule’s publication, HUD Secretary Scott Turner released an opinion essay in the Washington Post announcing the proposal and accusing liberal officials at the state and federal level of “exploiting public housing.”
Comments are due to HUD about this proposal by April 21. Stay tuned for more information on this topic. The March Mobilizer will have template letters you can tailor to make submitting comments easier.
The proposed rule on mixed status housing reflects a broader escalation of targeting immigrant individuals and communities:
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The Administration granted ICE broader power to detain lawful refugees, and reporting indicates ICE is expected to expand those efforts across the U.S.
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Health care providers continue to report that patients are “more frightened and sicker than ever.”
- Families and attorneys are unable to locate hospitalized individuals who have been detained.
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Tensions between health care workers and immigration agents are increasing.
- As ICE increasingly uses Medicaid data, hospitals struggle with whether and how to warn patients.
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Public health service officers providing care in ICE facilities report ‘moral distress’, delayed access to life saving medicine, chaotic screenings, and overcrowded and understaffed conditions.
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Immigrant communities in states like Colorado are bracing to lose federal insurance coverage as a result of HR 1 – raising questions about where people will go for care.
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ICYMI: Check out our recent blog post |
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Two New Announcements from the Trump Administration |
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| This month brought two new announcements from the Administration aimed to address addiction, recovery, and homelessness. Framed as a “new national response,” these proposals include limited details about implementation and funding sources.
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New Executive Order: Addressing Addiction Through the Great American Recovery Initiative – This announced a “new national response to the disease of addiction” to improve coordination across the government, health care, and faith communities. The EO creates a new working group on addiction but makes no real policy changes.
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Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Supports (STREETS) – As part of the “Great American Recovery Initiative,” HHS announced $100 million for a new addiction and homelessness initiative to address homelessness, addiction, and public safety. The initiative will focus on expanding treatment, emphasizing “recovery and self-sufficiency” and will be piloted in 8 unnamed cities. Few details are available.
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While framed as evidence-based initiatives, these new policies raise concerns that the Administration is shifting further towards abstinence-only and coercive treatment models that undermine proven solutions like harm reduction and housing first. At the same time, two recent court rulings have been in favor of harm reduction policies and protecting the rights of people experiencing homelessness:
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- Harm Reduction: A recent ruling in Washington state could establish new legal protections for harm reduction services, specifically syringe service programs, under the Americans with Disability Act.
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Encampment Sweeps: A federal judge ruled that the city of Los Angeles is liable for destroying unhoused people’s property during encampment sweeps, finding the city altered records of the cleanups after the case was filed.
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HR 1 Impacts on Health Care and Food Assistance |
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New reports show that Medicaid cuts enacted through HR 1 will disproportionately harm middle-aged adults and deepen racial health inequities. The policies in HR 1, particularly the work requirements and administrative burdens, will be difficult for individuals to meet, threatening coverage for millions and increasing the risk of hospital and clinics closing. While states are beginning to implement the new funds from the Rural Health Transformation Program, it is expected to do little to offset the overall harm from these cuts.
These impacts will compound with other cuts from the law, including the expanded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements that went into effect in additional states this month. The new requirements eliminated exemptions for people experiencing homelessness, veterans and young adults aging out of foster care. The Congressional Budget Office estimates these changes will reduce the number of recipients by 2.4 million people over the next 10 years.
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Continue to reach out to state lawmakers using our implementation recommendations letter to urge Medicaid offices and legislative leadership to mitigate harm from HR 1. Share the letter as is or tailor it to add state specific details.
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What (Else) We're Reading |
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What (Else) We're Watching |
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We hope to see you in Orlando in June! |
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| Laura Brennan
Senior Policy Manager
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
lbrennan@nhchc.org
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| Your support is crucial!
All our advocacy work — including this newsletter! — is funded by dues from NHCHC's members and private donations. Consider joining the Council or donating to support this work!
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Copyright © 2026 National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Inc.
www.nhchc.org | (615) 226-2292
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