PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY SUED AGAIN FOR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST IMMIGRANT POTENTIAL TENANTS

Summary

Jun 19, 2026 | Court Cases Immigrants' Rights , News Releases CAMDEN, N.J. – A Latino civil rights group is suing a Pennsylvania-based property management company for denying two Egyptian women access to rental units based solely on their immigration status and other protected traits. It is the second time the group has sued the company. The lawsuit challenges Altman Management Company’s and the apartment complex, Autumn Ridge’s, policy of denying rental units to immigrants who are not lawful permanent residents or visa-holders. “Limiting housing to citizens and lawful permanent residents alone is unjustified and unlawful,” said Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF president and general counsel. “Our nation’s best interests require the broad availability of housing, without arbitrary rules to exclude immigrants.” In the complaint, attorneys argue that the defendants’ policy violates the federal Civil Rights Act of 1866, as codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1981, which prohibits discrimination based on alienage or lack of U.S. citizenship. Additionally, by denying the sisters the opportunity to apply for an apartment unit or giving them full and equal consideration to their tenancy, the defendants’ rental agent violated New Jersey state law prohibiting discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, or nationality. “Rather than treating the plaintiffs’ rental application in the same manner as applications submitted by U.S. citizens, the defendants focused on broad generalizations and stereotypes to dissuade the plaintiffs from applying, as well as enforcing a policy that targets non-permanent resident immigrants,” said Luis Lozada, MALDEF staff attorney. “Under such a policy, certain immigrants are guaranteed to encounter heavy barriers when applying for housing because of where they come from.” In June 2024, the sisters, and their mother met with the Autumn Ridge community manager to apply for a unit. Khamis produced her passport and student visa. Ibrahim, who has applied for asylum and possesses a work-only social security number, did not have her documents on her. That same day, the manager asked Ibrahim for a permanent resident card (green card). When Ibrahim told the manager she did not have a green card, only an Employment Authorization card, the manager told Ibrahim that Autumn Ridge Apartments only accepts visas or permanent resident cards, and that she would have to “shred [the] application.” Altman Management Company LLC is Pennsylvania-based construction company that operates nearly 80 apartment communities in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In 2024, the organization sued the defendants on behalf of a DACA recipient, who was denied housing because of her immigration status.