Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner announced during a press conference in Memphis on Monday that the federal government will be launching a tip-line that will allow residents to report illegal aliens or wanted criminals residing in public housing units.
“At HUD, we do believe that public housing should be safe. We believe that, and that’s our conviction. A safe community starts with safe housing. If the housing is safe, the community is safe, and we want to take good care of the most vulnerable people in our country,” Turner said while flanked by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
The secretary said the line will allow public housing residents to call the HUD Office of the Inspector General to report “criminals, illegal aliens, sex offenders, human traffickers, and those guilty of gang activity, drug distribution, and fraud.”
The hotline is expected to be rolled out to public housing residents in Memphis — where the Trump Administration has launched a surge in federal resources to crack down on crime and illegal immigration — before expanding.
Turner noted that the Memphis Housing Authority serves more than 9,700 households and receives more than $1.7M to assist federal rental assistance programs. “Here’s our message: Protect your home. Protect your family. If you see it, if you hear about it, report it,” Turner said.
The tip-line can be reached at 800-374-3735 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, while people can also file an anonymous tip at any time through a department website.
According to HUD’s own analysis and NLIHC data, approximately 22,000 to 25,000 mixed-status households containing at least one undocumented immigrant are receiving federal housing assistance, including public housing units, Section 8 vouchers, and project-based rental aid. These households are disproportionately located in high-immigration states like New York, California, and Texas
Another analysis from the Center for Immigration Studies, which was conducted in 2023, estimated that 59.4 percent of households headed by undocumented immigrants use at least one major means-tested welfare program, including subsidized and public housing.
“We cannot allow criminals — whether gangs, traffickers, or illegal aliens — to terrorize our communities, especially in places meant to protect the vulnerable like public housing. This tip line is a tool to empower residents and hold perpetrators accountable,” Bondi said during Monday’s press conference.
The attorney general’s comments framed the tip line as part of a larger crackdown on sanctuary policies and immigration enforcement, echoing her prior actions like suing states for “tipping off” undocumented immigrants.
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee drew criticism from President Donald Trump and the White House on Tuesday after dismissing a colleague’s text messages with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein as simply “taking a phone call from her constituent.” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) made the remark during debate over a resolution to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands) for coordinating with Epstein ahead of a Feb. 27, 2019, House Oversight Committee hearing featuring testimony from Michael Cohen.
“They’ve arraigned a Democratic member for taking a phone call from her constituent, Jeffrey Epstein, in the middle of a hearing,” Raskin said during floor debate. “And of course, I don’t think there’s any rule here against taking phone calls in a hearing.” He went on to question the basis for the censure effort, asking Republicans where the ethical or legal transgression was and warning them to “be careful” in setting such a precedent.
The White House blasted Raskin’s comments, calling him “one of the worst to ever disgrace the halls of Congress” and describing Plaskett’s interaction with Epstein as collusion with a convicted sex offender. Deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson questioned why Raskin was minimizing the interaction, invoking reports about other Democrats’ past connections to Epstein.
Commentators on social media also condemned Raskin’s defense of Plaskett, with users highlighting alleged hypocrisy and resurfacing his own remarks tying Donald Trump to Epstein. Independent journalist Lee Fang, who has reported on Plaskett’s ties to Epstein, said Raskin’s description was “incredibly dishonest,” pointing to Plaskett’s past work with Epstein-linked interests and political support from his network.
The motion to censure Plaskett and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee failed in a 214–209 vote. Earlier Tuesday, the House voted 427–1 to require the Justice Department to release all files related to Epstein, who was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019 and found dead in jail later that year. Copies of Plaskett’s communication with Epstein were among 20,000 documents from his estate released Nov. 12 by the House Oversight Committee.
In their text exchanges, Epstein advised Plaskett on how to frame her questioning of Michael Cohen, including prompts about other figures at the Trump Organization. “Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn,” she responded, according to the New York Post.