EXCLUSIVE: Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner said the Trump administration is working to counteract the housing cost surges that he said resulted from Joe Biden's open border policies.Speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital from the Great American State Fair on Thursday, Turner insisted President Donald Trump's team is pursuing policies to improve affordability, a key midterm issue, and bring down home price and rent cost spikes that correlated with the influx of illegal immigration under the previous administration.Republicans have argued their agenda will bring down home prices and rents by cutting regulations, increasing housing supply and cracking down on illegal immigration.BIDEN'S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SURGE CAUSED HIGHER RENT AND HOME PRICES, FED STUDY FINDSA home for sale are shown as housing affordability remains a challenge for many prospective buyers.(Zak Bennnett/Bloomberg/Getty Images)"When we first came in with President Trump, we had open borders.
We had tens of millions of illegals in our country," Turner said, arguing that increased housing demand from unauthorized immigration drove up costs for American citizens.A recent Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas working paper reached a similar conclusion, estimating that every 1% increase in unauthorized immigrant workers was associated with a roughly 2.2% increase in home prices and a 1.4% increase in rents.Turner said that beyond rolling back regulations, expanding mortgage credit and removing barriers to new construction, reducing illegal immigration is key to helping ease demand for housing.THE SURPRISING HIDDEN COST QUIETLY ADDING NEARLY $132K TO NEW HOME PRICES REVEALEDHe also said the Trump administration's immigration crackdown is a key part of the president's broader effort to reduce costs for American families amid an ongoing affordability crisis."Here in America, we prioritize American people and American people only.American houses are for American people," Turner said.Asked ...