Tenants can’t be questioned on legal status
California last week became the first state to prohibit landlords from asking tenants’ immigration status.
The bill, approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, elicited a sigh of relief from landlord groups concerned that without it, they’d be forced to take on the cost and liability of enforcing federal laws as “de facto immigration cops,” said Nancy Ahlswede, executive director of the Apartment Assn., California Southern Cities Inc.
More than 90 cities or counties nationwide have considered ordinances that aim to discourage illegal immigrants from settling by making their daily life more difficult.
They include rules forbidding renting to illegal immigrants, punishing businesses that hire them or requiring police to ask about immigration status.
Proponents of immigration control view the California law as another attempt to block citizens from defending their interests in an area where the federal government has failed.
“You have cities that want to deal with the problem and this bill would stop them, making them powerless to deal with the illegal alien community,” said Rick Oltman of Californians for Population Stabilization.
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