The Minneapolis City Council passed two ordinances Thursday that aim to help immigrant renters following Operation Metro Surge.
One ordinance prohibits landlords from inquiring about a renter or prospective renter’s immigration status and forbids them from retaliating against renters due to their status. Another ordinance temporarily extends the time period a housing provider needs to give a renter before filing an eviction case against them from 30 to 45 days. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey could veto that ordinance.
The ordinances come in the aftermath of Operation Metro Surge, which pushed many residents who were afraid to leave their homes to work into housing instability.
“Minneapolis is an immigrant city,” said Council Member Jamal Osman. “This is the least we can do to help.”
Immigration status of renters
Some protections in the city’s ordinance that prohibits landlords from inquiring about a renter’s immigration status are already in place on the state or federal level. But Eric Hauge, co-executive director of Home Line, a tenant advocacy group, said it will give the city power to enforce the measures.
Currently, renters usually have to go to Hennepin County’s housing court to address concerns, which Hauge said isn’t always the best option for people. Under the ordinance, renters could contact the city, which could take actions against the housing provider’s rental license.
“A lot of renters do face barriers to going to court. It can be costly, it’s time intensive, and it’s a very intimidating process,” he said. “So having a local department in Minneapolis that is already regulating this … to be able to oversee and enforce this is an additional helpful perspective.”
Jessica Szuminski, a policy attorney at the Housing Justice Center, said it’s important that the protections are in effect at all levels of government.
‘It’s good to ensure that tenants have maximum access to justice at every level of government at every … avenue to ensure that their rights are enforced and protected,” she said.
The ordinance includes several exemptions for when landlords can inquire about a tenant’s status, including if they are required to obtain the information under state or federal law or to establish eligibility for federal housing programs.
The ordinance also puts in place protections against retaliation. State law protects tenants from retaliation, but not applicants. The city’s ordinance will cover both groups.
Hauge said his organization received increased calls from residents concerned that their landlord would retaliate against them during Operation Metro Surge. For example, if a renter had a utility request that was not being fulfilled, the landlord might threaten to call immigration agents if the tenant escalated the matter.
“It is sometimes used basically as attacks or a fear tactic, intimidation tactic, to prevent tenants from enforcing their rights,” he said.
Vanessa del Campo, an organizer with the tenant advocacy group Inquilinxs Unidxs Por Justicia (United Renters for Justice), said the ordinance will help community members feel safer, especially after the trauma of the federal operation.
“The implementation of this ordinance safeguards the well-being of all families and ensures that they feel more secure, knowing the city will not allow landlord retaliation based on one’s identity,” del Campo said in a statement.
Cecil Smith, the president and CEO of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association, which represents housing providers, said the ordinance is “duplicitive” of laws already in place, and said it will add additional responsibilities to city staff.
“I’m just concerned that here’s one more thing that we’re asking the city … when there are lots of other things that they’re being asked to do,” he said.
Council Member Jason Chavez, who authored the ordinance, said at a committee hearing last week that the ordinance is vitally needed.
“Since the height of the Operation Metro Surge, many of our neighbors have been impacted, including renters whose immigration status or perceived immigration status has been used to threaten and retaliate against renters who are struggling to pay rent,” he said.
The ordinance passed the council unanimously.
Pre-eviction notice period temporarily extended, sent to Frey for final approval
Many Minneapolis residents sheltered at home during the federal operation, were unable to work and have had difficulty paying rent.
The council passed an ordinance that would temporarily increase the pre-eviction notice period in the city from 30 to 45 days. Council members in support of the ordinance said that an extra 15 days would allow residents to receive another paycheck or access rental assistance to pay rent.
“This is not a bold, radical ordinance, this is the bare minimum,” said City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury.
Last month, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed the council’s decision to temporarily increase the time period to 60 days, arguing that more time would push residents into additional debt.
Some council members said residents need to have an eviction case filed against them to access Hennepin County rental assistance and worried that a 45-day time period would make it harder to access rental assistance. The more than $6 million that the city is rolling out in rental assistance does not require an eviction case.
The St. Paul City Council unanimously approved a temporary 60-day pre-eviction notice last month.
Minneapolis’ 45-day ordinance passed Thursday on an 8-5 vote, meaning that the council does not have a veto-proof majority. Nine votes are required to override a veto.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Frey said that he will review the ordinance over the coming days and speak with community members to make a decision.
At a public hearing on Tuesday, all who testified from the public were in favor of the ordinance, including People Serving People, which provides emergency shelter and programs to families experiencing homelessness. Affordable housing providers had previously not supported the 60-day notice period.
Szuminski said she’s hopeful that the 45-day ordinance will go through.
“It’s a temporary change due to the extraordinary circumstances that the city endured so far this year, and this would be a good way for the city to stand up and show for our residents that it cares and wants to see people succeed,” she said.
After the council meeting Thursday, several council members called on Frey at a news conference not to veto the ordinance, and said they would be disappointed if he vetoed efforts to extend the notice period a second time.
Osman said wants to see more steps taken by the mayor to help immigrant renters impacted by the surge.
“When it comes to actual action, you destroy them with a pen,” Osman said of Frey’s veto.
How to get help
Minneapolis recently opened up applications for rental assistance. More information can be found here and on the city’s website.
For free tenant legal help and advice, contact Home Line at 612-728-5767. The service is also available in different languages.
- Spanish: 612-255-8870
- Somali: 612-255-8860
- Hmong: 612-255-7104
