HUD has launched a civil rights investigation into Boston’s housing policies, alleging that the city’s DEI initiatives violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Thursday that it is investigating the city of Boston, Massachusetts, over allegations that its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) housing practices violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
HUD claims to have evidence indicating that Boston has utilized federal grant assistance to implement “race-based preferences,” which it argues contravene the Fair Housing Act and Title VI. The agency characterized these initiatives as a “social engineering project.”
“We believe the City of Boston has engaged in a social engineering project that intentionally advances discriminatory housing policies driven by an ideological commitment to DEI rather than merit or need,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner stated in a press release. “HUD is committed to protecting every American’s civil rights and will thoroughly investigate the City’s stated goal of ‘integrating racial equity into every layer of city government.’”
Turner emphasized that this “warped mentality” would be fully scrutinized, asserting that Boston must come into compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.
The investigation follows a letter sent by HUD to the Mayor’s Office of Housing, in which the agency expressed “reason to believe” that Boston was improperly utilizing its federal grant assistance.
According to HUD, Boston’s Fair Housing Assessment outlines plans to “target homebuyer outreach” specifically at “Black and Latinx families.” The assessment also mandates that city departments collect racial and ethnic data to evaluate their work through a racial equity and social justice framework.
Furthermore, Boston’s Housing Strategy 2025 states that “at least 65%” of homeownership opportunities through city initiatives should be allocated to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) households, as noted by HUD.
“The policy is clear,” the agency remarked. “Financial housing assistance is not just for all low-income persons but instead ‘particularly BIPOC residents.’”
On social media platform X, Turner commented on the investigation, stating that HUD is “Breaking Up Biden’s Boston BIPOC Bash.” He criticized Boston for promoting discriminatory housing policies under the guise of DEI, asserting that this mentality would be exposed and that the city would ultimately comply with federal law.
Earlier this week, Turner also criticized the Biden administration, attributing the current housing market challenges to policies from the former president that he claims have exacerbated illegal immigration and refugee crises.
HUD publishes its “Worst Case Housing Needs Report” biennially, which evaluates the housing market’s condition for low-income Americans and the number of individuals lacking both affordable and adequate housing. Turner indicated that this year’s report contains troubling findings, which he attributes to the immigration policies of the Biden administration.
“The unchecked illegal immigration and open borders policies allowed by the Biden administration continue to put significant strain on housing, pricing out American families,” Turner stated.
As of now, Fox News Digital has reached out to the City of Boston for a comment regarding the investigation.
According to Fox News Digital, the implications of this investigation could have significant consequences for Boston’s housing policies and practices moving forward.