Landlords Fined $80K for ICE Threats

Following a dispute in 2020, a judge in Illinois ordered two landlords to pay $80,000 to former renters after threatening to report them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities.  Under the Illinois Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, which Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law in 2019, the two tenants sued the Contrerases in 2022. The statute forbids landlords from evicting or retaliating against their tenants on the basis of their immigration status. When the Contrerases demanded a full month’s rent but informed the tenants that they would have to leave the flat because they were selling the house, a dispute broke out between the landlords and the tenants.  The tenants requested a prorated payment upon departure because they were unsure if they would remain for the entire last month.  According to the lawsuit, Marco Antonio Contreras retaliated by threatening to contact immigration authorities. Attorneys familiar with the issue said that only three states offer specific protections for undocumented renters: Illinois, California, and Colorado. 

Source: USA TODAY NEWS