Claim: Video shows “housing facility for illegal immigrants”
A June 20 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) features images of a high-rise building, bedrooms, a fitness center, and a conference room.
“The new illegal immigrant housing facilities will cost $600,000 per unit,” the video’s text states.
The post received over 100 likes within a week.
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Our rating: False
The nonprofit behind the project says the purpose of the building shown in the video is to house homeless people, not immigrants living in the US illegally.
The Weingart Center was built to house homeless people on Skid Row.
The video, shared on Instagram, was first posted to X (formerly Twitter) by Los Angeles’ KABC-TV on June 19 to mark the grand opening of the 19-story high-rise in Skid Row, a neighborhood home to thousands of homeless people. The version posted to Instagram was cropped to remove the TV station’s logo and a photo credit for the building’s construction company.
However, the post is misleading about who will be living in the building: officials say the building’s purpose is to house homeless people, and not an “illegal immigrant housing facility” as the post claims.
Fact check: No, the 1996 immigration act did not give ‘illegal immigrants’ the right to vote
City officials opened the $165 million taxpayer-funded Weingart Tower 1 on June 19 as the largest permanent supportive housing project for a city with a severe homelessness problem. The 278-unit building will provide shelter for homeless residents of Skid Row, according to multiple media reports and a property description from the Weingart Center, the nonprofit behind the project.
There is no credible evidence that this building is intended for people who are in the U.S. illegally, as the post claims. No legitimate media outlet has reported that this building is designated to house that group.
It is unclear whether foreigners will be allowed to live in the building. Weingart Center officials could not be reached for comment.
According to rental details for the property, people wanting to live there must provide documentation, including proof of source of income, disability certification, photo ID and Social Security card.
Foreign nationals can generally only obtain Social Security numbers if they receive work authorization from the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Social Security Administration’s website and agency spokesperson Nilsa Henriquez.
For example, asylum seekers can apply for work authorization if their asylum case has been pending for more than six months, but they can’t apply for a Social Security number until they receive work authorization, said Michelle Mittelstadt, communications director for the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.
“People who are in the United States illegally and have not applied for asylum typically cannot obtain a work permit or a Social Security number unless they qualify for another type of status, such as Temporary Protected Status, which allows them to apply for a work permit,” Mittelstadt said.
While the post correctly states the average cost per unit is $600,000, the caption is misleading by suggesting the project excludes former military personnel. “Why spend money on this when we can spend money to help veterans,” one wrote, a comment that resonated with several commenters. However, according to the Weingart Center’s website, 40 of the building’s income-based units are set aside exclusively for veterans.
USA Today has previously debunked false claims about immigration, including that people in the US illegally must have a passport to travel by air or land, and that immigrants cannot be arrested for entering the country illegally.
USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post, but neither party immediately responded.
Fact Check Sources:
Nilsa Henriquez, June 27, email correspondence with USA TODAY Michelle Mittelstadt, June 26, email correspondence with USA TODAY ABC7, June 19, X-Post ABC7, June 19, New high-rise to house homeless in $600,000 units in downtown Los Angeles Los Angeles Times, June 5, Skid Row to build 19-story residential tower for homeless people, will offer gym, cafe, art studio Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2021, New “first-class” high-rise to house homeless people in Los Angeles’ Skid Row Fox 11 Los Angeles, June 19, Luxury high-rise homeless shelter with $600,000 units opens in downtown Los Angeles Weingart, accessed June 27, Permanent supportive housing (PSH)Weingart, accessed June 27, Weingart Tower 1
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