We learned yesterday that landlords in Illinois won't be allowed to consider a future tenant's immigration status.  This is the story:

An Illinois law set to go into effect at the beginning of 2024 will ban landlords from discriminating against potential tenants on the basis of their immigration status.

Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed SB 1817 into law late last month, which will add "protections in the Illinois Human Rights Act for housing regarding immigration status protection and discriminatory advertising."

The law was part of several pieces of legislation Pritzker signed last month, including another law aimed at giving undocumented immigrants access to state drivers licenses. The bill replaces the current Temporary Visitor Driver's License with a standard license that will last four years, a move that will impact over 300,000 people who currently hold the temporary licenses.

Talk about creating an incentive to go the Windy City.  That Chicago bus seat just got more and more popular.

There are several problems here.

First, your immigration status is important when it comes to your criminal record.  I'm sure that most of the migrants do not have a criminal background.  However, the landlord should be allowed to investigate the prospective tenant.  It's a commonsense issue for someone who is going to give you the keys to his property.

Second, how do you evict a person who is in the country illegally?  How do you enforce a lease signed by someone you can't check?

So don't be surprised if more migrants check Chicago as their favored destination.  Furthermore, don't be shocked if more landlords in Illinois put their property up for sale.

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