Illinois Gives Illegal Immigrants The Right To Rent

Written by Hudson Crozier

What happened: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed a bill last month making it illegal for landlords to discriminate based on immigration status, granting illegal immigrants a right to rental housing. This echoes a similar policy in New York and a growing push by the left to expand the legal rights and privileges of illegal immigrants.

Similar developments: A proposed bill in Indiana would allow illegal immigrants to apply for driver's licenses, following the lead of several states that have done so, including Illinois. This year alone, Minnesota has passed laws granting access to driver's licenses, tax-funded health care, and free college tuition for illegal immigrants.

Even voting rights: While it’s illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, legal and illegal immigrants will be able to vote in Washington, D.C., elections by next year when a new bill takes effect. Liberal districts in at least five other states grant limited voting rights to legal immigrants.

Why it matters: Some on the far left want to abolish the idea of borders entirely. By gradually weakening border security, removing punishments for crossing the border illegally, and making illegal immigrants pseudo-citizens, Democrats could make this a reality in the U.S. by making the border and immigration status meaningless. This bypasses the need to hold a vote on granting mass amnesty to illegal immigrants, a longtime goal of congressional Democrats. Leaders such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are going in the opposite direction, passing restrictions on employment and other aspects of public life that inspire illegal immigrants to leave the state.