Photo Courtesy of Sen. Peralta’s Office
A concerned resident brought the letter to the attention of Sen. Peralta, who then filed a complaint with State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s Office.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Following a New York Daily News report that exposed a Corona landlord for allegedly asking tenants to prove their citizenship or face being tossed out of the 42nd Avenue building, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced a complaint filed by the State Division of Human Rights on behalf of New York against owner Jaideep Reddy, claiming discrimination against immigrants.
The complaint comes after an agent of the landlord posted a letter addressed to “all tenants” on the building’s front door. The message demanded that tenants, many of which are immigrants from Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, provide proof of employment, photo identification, Social Security card, and Green Card or passport, or face possible eviction.
“We are a nation of immigrants, and New York will not stand by while innocent men and women are targeted and discriminated against,” said Cuomo, a borough native. “Make no mistake: This reprehensible behavior is against the law and against what we stand for as New Yorkers and we will use every avenue to stop this, weed out these bad actors and protect the basic rights of tenants across the state.”
A concerned resident brought the missive to the attention of State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), who promptly filed a complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office.
“I was appalled when a constituent came into my office with a letter from a landlord requesting proof of immigration status to his tenants threatening them with eviction if they did not comply. As soon as we were alerted of the existence of this unacceptable, racist letter, we immediately notified the State authorities,” Peralta said. “I am very glad Gov. Cuomo took action and investigated the case we uncovered, an investigation that led to the filing of a complaint by the State Division of Human Rights against the Corona landlord. This is clearly a case of housing and immigration discrimination against my constituents, and I am not going to tolerate this kind of inconceivable behavior.”
