The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also known as MALDEF, has filed a federal lawsuit against a property management company in New Jersey for refusing to rent a house to a young woman due to her immigration status as a DACA recipient.
MALDEF sued the company on behalf of Khrysta De Guzman, who has been part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for the past eight years.
DACA allows nearly 580,000 undocumented young adults, who came to the U.S. as children, most of whom are Latino, to get work permits and Social Security numbers. This allows them to work and study without fear of being deported. Their DACA status needs to be renewed every two years.
MALDEF's president and general counsel Thomas A. Saenz said, "Housing discrimination against DACA recipients is not only irrational, it is unlawful. Our economy — and our humanity — are distorted and diminished when we allow such discrimination to occur," as per the official statement.
Last year, De Guzman and her fiancé, a U.S. citizen, applied to rent an apartment at Autumn Ridge Apartments, which was owned by HP Altman Autumn Ridge LLC and managed by Altman Management Company LLC.
A leasing manager at Autumn Ridge Apartments told 25-year-old De Guzman that her application was denied because her employment authorization card wasn't enough, adding that they needed proof of residency or visa information.
De Guzman then applied to rent an apartment at Inverness Apartments, which was also owned by Inverness Apartments LLC and managed by Altman Management Company LLC. Once again, her application was denied because of her immigration status.
"These denials have resulted in another frozen chapter of my life," she said. "It serves to remind us DACA holders that we aren't fully accepted by U.S. society. Despite working, paying taxes and contributing to the economy."
DACA recipients like De Guzman contributed $108 billion to the U.S. economy and paid $33 billion in taxes since DACA began in 2012, as per immigration advocacy group FWD.us.
Now, MALDEF lawyers were seeking class certification to represent others who may have tried to rent apartments managed by Altman, but were denied fair and equal consideration because of their immigration status.
A MALDEF attorney on the case, Luis Lozada said, "Landlords cannot penalize renters because of their alienage. Defendants' discriminatory acts adversely affect DACA recipients and immigrants where they can live and work."
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