The Latino Policy Forum holds presentations on immigrant tenant rights amid fear of the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda.
The nonprofit advocates for equity and justice for the Latino community through policy change.
Anna Arzuaga, the Forum’s Senior Housing Policy Analyst, has been conducting the presentations throughout the state based on the organization’s “Housing Rights for Immigrant Tenants” handbook.
The guide includes a summary of state laws dictating housing rights, such as the Immigrant Tenant Protection Act.
“Landlords are not allowed to ask about your immigration status, and they cannot threaten to report you to immigration authorities,” she said. “So, we have these protections in place, and they're very powerful, they work when people know about them.”
She said the information is especially important now as the Trump Administration initiates changes to immigration policy and prioritizes federal resources to deportations.
“Many immigrant families are feeling heightened fear, uncertainty with facing housing instability,” she said, "like how to navigate that right now, especially due to their immigration status.”
The guide also contains a list of housing and legal resources available to all Illinois tenants regardless of immigration status, including information on facing an eviction.
Click here for a link to the guide.
