Civil Rights Department Secures Settlement Over Alleged Threat of Eviction Tied to Oxnard Family’s Perceived Immigration Status

SACRAMENTO – The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) today announced securing a fair housing settlement against a property owner over allegedly threatening a family with deportation and eviction. Under California law, housing providers are prohibited from harassing or intimidating tenants by threatening to share or sharing information about their immigration status with law enforcement. As a result of the settlement, the property owner is required to pay $30,000 in compensation for alleged harms to the family and complete fair housing training.

“Make no mistake: Threatening someone with deportation to evict them is against the law in California,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “However, despite our state’s robust protections, we know that immigrants regularly face unlawful threats, whether it’s in housing, employment, or other aspects of our daily lives. In California, the law is clear that landlords cannot threaten to report their tenants to immigration authorities to pressure them to move out. All Californians have the right to fair housing regardless of their immigration status or national origin. If you come forward and report, we will do everything in our power to support you. Every report makes a difference.”

In November 2022, CRD received a complaint against the owner of a three-bedroom house in Oxnard, California over alleged discrimination on the basis of the tenants’ citizenship, national origin, and immigration status. According to the complaint filed with CRD, the property owner allegedly served the family with a three-day eviction notice that indicated that the family would be removed from the house by the sheriff’s office and handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation if they did not comply by moving out. The notice also erroneously indicated that — by allegedly not being U.S. citizens — the family had no protection under any U.S. laws.

Among numerous other state and federal protections for people who are not U.S. citizens, California law prohibits housing providers from asking about a person’s immigration status unless it is related to affordable housing funded by the federal government. Tenants are also generally protected from eviction, being charged higher rent, and other adverse housing actions based on protected characteristics such as their race, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, the language they speak, and more. Despite these protections, the family was still allegedly threatened with deportation and ultimately had to move from their home.

After investigating the complaint, CRD determined there was sufficient evidence that discrimination had occurred and referred the matter to the department’s Dispute Resolution Division for mediation. The division operates within CRD to provide free, neutral mediation services to help parties resolve disputes and address discrimination complaints. Each year, the division resolves hundreds of complaints, resulting in policy changes and millions of dollars in direct relief to impacted Californians. As a result of the settlement announced today, the property owner has agreed to:

• Pay $30,000 in compensation for the alleged harms.
• Complete training on the state’s civil rights protections under the Fair Housing and Employment Act, with a focus on provisions addressing harassment and discrimination.
• Refrain from discriminating against any future tenants.
• Provide future tenants with information about their rights under the Fair Employment and Housing Act.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of discrimination based on immigration status, citizenship, or national origin, CRD may be able to assist you through its complaint process. General information about CRD’s complaint process and how to file a complaint is available here. General information regarding resources and protections for immigrants is available here. A fact sheet on civil rights protections for immigrants in California is available here.

The settlement was mediated by Senior Attorney Mediator Kendra Tanacea. The matter was supported by Senior Staff Counsel Christa Conry and Staff Counsel Irene Meyers. The case was investigated by Dalia Moreno with the CRD’s Enforcement Division.

A copy of the settlement is available here.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.

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