by Abby Torres
VP Mortgage Lending | Rate
March 4, 2025
A Chicago landlord who tried to use immigration threats as leverage against his tenants is now facing the full weight of Illinois law. In a first-of-its-kind ruling under the state’s Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, Cook County Circuit Judge Catherine A. Schneider ordered Marco Antonio Contreras and his wife, Denise Contreras, to pay more than $80,000 to their former tenants after threatening to call immigration authorities during a rent dispute in June 2020.
The case was brought forward by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which represented the tenants and helped secure the judgment. According to MALDEF’s Midwest regional counsel, Susana Sandoval Vargas, the decision reinforces a basic principle: “Everyone has rights under the rule of law regardless of their actual or perceived immigration status. In Illinois, landlords are prohibited from wielding the threat of immigration enforcement as a weapon against their tenants.”
The lawsuit revealed that the tenants, who rented a basement unit from the Contrerases in Chicago’s Ashburn neighborhood, were confronted with rising rent, verbal pressure, and finally, threats of being reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The landlords’ actions were clear violations of the state law, which was created to protect tenants from exactly these types of abusive tactics.
If you’re renting your home, understanding your rights isn’t just helpful, it’s necessary. This ruling shows exactly what happens when tenants know the law and take action. Illinois’ Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, signed in 2019, was designed to ensure that no one’s housing can be put at risk by threats tied to immigration status, whether real or assumed.
In their statement released through MALDEF, the tenants explained why they chose to come forward: “We decided not to stay silent because our landlords threatened us with calling immigration, and we do not believe that anyone has a right to threaten us. No one should feel or act superior to others. We are all equals and deserve respect.”
For anyone who rents, this is more than a court case. It’s a chance to take stock of your own living situation and know where the boundaries are. It’s a reminder that intimidation has no place in housing, and that state law is on your side if those boundaries are crossed.
For landlords, this ruling draws a hard line. Managing property isn’t permission to control people through fear. It’s a responsibility that comes with limits, and when those limits are ignored, there are legal and financial consequences.
MALDEF’s victory also highlights the need for wider awareness. As Sandoval Vargas pointed out, many tenants still don’t know these protections exist. The law works when people use it, but that only happens when communities are informed and willing to act.
With this decision, Illinois has made it clear that housing is not a tool for exploitation. When people stand up and enforce their rights, the effects go well beyond a single case. They help build a system where respect isn’t optional, and where those who try to use fear as currency pay the price.
