Calif. lawmakers approve bill protecting undocumented immigrant tenants from landlord harassment
Good and I hope many more states will follow in California's footsteps!
Calif. lawmakers approve bill protecting undocumented immigrant tenants from landlord harassment
California lawmakers, already engaged in a high-profile battle against the Trump administration over its opposition to “sanctuary cities” and “dreamers,” has approved a measure aimed at bolstering the housing rights of undocumented immigrants.
The legislature passed the Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, which prohibits landlords from reporting, or even threatening to report, the immigration status of their tenants to authorities as a means of harassment or retaliation or to force an eviction. The bill also allows tenants to be awarded monetary damages if their landlord is found guilty of the actions.
Sponsors of the measure say they were spurred by an increased level of harassment by landlords toward undocumented immigrants.
“We were hearing from tenants that were being told that their rents were going to increase, that the water heater wasn’t going to be fixed, or they were going to be evicted,” said California Assemblyman David Chiu (D), who co-sponsored the bill with the Western Center on Law & Poverty.
“They were told that if they didn’t do as they were told, immigration authorities were going to be contacted,” Chiu said in an interview. “The fact that we’re in an era where immigrants are under assault and where the threat of deportation is extremely real, in this context, we have seen certain unscrupulous landlords try to take advantage of the situation to pressure higher rents or evictions related to their tenants.”
MORE https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2017/09/19/calif-lawmakers-approve-bill-protecting-undocumented-immigrant-tenants-from-landlord-harassment/?utm_term=.f6efa59610ba
= new reply since forum marked as read
