Rent prices have declined in several major Texas cities as immigration enforcement has increased, with the Trump administration pointing to reduced international migration and fewer people competing for housing as factors behind the trend.
Data highlighted by the White House shows rents in several Texas metropolitan areas have fallen significantly from their Biden-era peaks. The White House attributed the declines to a sharp reduction in net international migration and increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump.
Austin saw one of the largest declines, with rents down 21.5% from their Biden-era peak, according to the White House. San Antonio rents have fallen 13.5%, while Dallas has seen a 9.5% decline. Houston’s rents have declined by about 3.7%.
The Department of Homeland Security pointed to more recent rent declines in a Sept. 25 post on X, saying Texas accounted for about a quarter of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in July and posted the country’s sharpest rent drops. According to DHS, San Antonio rents fell 4.8%, Austin rents fell 4.3%, and Dallas and Houston rents each fell by about 3%.
DHS said research shows that increases in the number of illegal workers can push rents and home prices higher. The agency argued that those inflows have been reversed in states conducting the most interior immigration enforcement.
As rent prices dropped, the White House has similarly pointed to a sharp decline in net international migration. According to the administration, net international migration fell 54.7% nationally in 2025, which it said reduced competition for housing and contributed to higher vacancy rates and lower rents.
The administration’s figures also show substantial declines in international migration in major Texas metropolitan areas, including San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and Austin.
For years, rapidly increasing demand for housing was accompanied by rising rents across much of the country. Now, as that migration has sharply slowed and immigration enforcement has increased, several major Texas cities are seeing the opposite trend — declining rents and less pressure on the housing market.
