Rep. Jimmy Gomez is trying to flip the script on federal spending, debuting a short film this week that urges Congress to reroute roughly $175 billion earmarked for immigration enforcement into affordable housing programs instead. The film, Housing Over Hate, casts the choice as a stark one: expand enforcement powers or invest in homes for families. Gomez and his allies argue that redirecting that cash could ease the rent squeeze that shapes daily life across Los Angeles.
In a press release via Rep. Jimmy Gomez, the congressman outlines the Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act as a plan to "take back" the $175 billion allocated to ICE and CBP in the One Big Beautiful Bill and move that funding into renter support, down-payment assistance, and converting vacant office buildings into housing. The release notes that the film was produced in partnership with Brave New Films and that the Congressional Progressive Caucus has formally endorsed the proposal.
The short film, which Gomez screened at a virtual community premiere, features interviews with progressive lawmakers and organizers, as reported by Los Angeles Magazine. The outlet reports that the piece includes appearances from Reps. Maxwell Frost, Maxine Dexter, Yassamin Ansari, and Troy Carter, blending policy talk with personal testimony about how rising rents are affecting local families.
What The Bill Would Fund
Gomez's office says the legislation would provide up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, offer monthly rent relief to households that spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent, and create tax credits to jump-start starter-home construction and office-to-housing conversions, according to Rep. Gomez. Supporters say those investments are designed to hit displacement at the root and keep more Angelenos in stable homes instead of on the brink.
Why It Matters In L.A.
Housing advocates say the proposal is practically written for Los Angeles. The 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count estimated about 72,308 people experiencing homelessness across the county and roughly 43,699 within the city limits, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Nationally, nearly half of renter households spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing in 2023, a U.S. Census Bureau analysis found, numbers Democrats regularly cite when pushing for more federal money to support affordability measures.
Political Odds And Enforcement Build-Up
The bill faces steep odds in Congress. The One Big Beautiful Bill that became law last year included roughly $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security, funding that experts say has already turbocharged ICE’s capacity, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Migration policy analysts have documented a rapid hiring push and recruitment incentives that significantly increased enforcement personnel, one of the reasons Gomez and his allies say that some of those dollars could now be shifted toward housing instead.
What’s Next
With the Congressional Progressive Caucus on board, Gomez intends to keep pushing the measure with both colleagues and voters as budget fights continue in Washington. The full short film and background materials are available from Brave New Films, along with local coverage that participated in screening the premiere.
.jpg){kind=link}