A new front in the debate over illegal immigration opens up tonight in Escondido. City Council members are expected to vote on a proposal that prohibits landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. The proposed ordinance would require landlords to submit documentation of their tenants' immigration status to the city, which would then verify the information with the federal government.
Landlords found renting to illegal immigrants could lose their business licenses or face misdemeanor charges. Bob Pinneger is the Executive Director of the San Diego County Apartment Association. He says the ordinance is asking landlords to do the impossible.
Pinneger: There’s currently no database you can go to determine if someone is a legal resident of the U.S. Second of all, there are some significant potential fair housing violations in this ordinance.
Latino civil rights activists protested the proposed law yesterday at the Escondido city hall. Members of the anti-illegal immigration group the Minutemen say they plan to gather outside city hall for tonight’s vote.
