The reason why these illegal immigrants are suing their landlord is going to make you very upset. You won’t believe what they are claiming!
LEXANDRIA Va. (ABC7) — Four families of Latino immigrants are suing their landlord in federal court on Monday for allegedly threatening to evict anyone living in the park who is an undocumented immigrant.
The federal civil rights lawsuit is being filed in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against the landlord of the Waples Mobile Home Park. The landlord will not be renewing the lease of any resident who does not have a Social Security number or some other proof of legal status, according to the families, who are being represented by the Legal Aid Justice Center and lawyers from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP.
The suit claims that this policy is a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act, the Virginia Fair Housing law and is intentionally discriminatory of non-U.S. citizens.
Read more: WJLA
According to Hot Air, this landlord is not in violation of the Fair Housing Act:
Standard legal advice available to any landlord states that it is, in fact, not a violation of the FHA, provided every tenant is required to provide proof of legal status, regardless of the potential tenants race or national origin: (NOLO)
While it’s illegal to discriminate against a tenant based on their national origin, landlords in most states are allowed to ask applicants for proof of identity and eligibility to work under U.S. immigration laws, such as a passport or naturalization certificate, using Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This form and instructions for completing it are available on the USCIS website.
While asking applicants to provide documentation of their citizenship status during the screening process, and rejecting those who can not provide such documentation, does not violate the federal Fair Housing Act, you may not selectively ask for immigration information—that is, you must ask all prospective tenants, not just those you suspect to be in the country illegally.
