Current aggressive federal immigration enforcement has created massive disruption throughout the U.S. and significant financial hardship in impacted communities. Racial profiling by immigration officials means Black and Latino communities are particularly harmed. In this context, immigrants face a myriad of barriers to financial stability, including:
- Immigrants fear using the banking system because it may require providing information about their immigration status
- Loss of income — because wage earners are detained or because families fear leaving their homes — leads households to struggle to pay mortgages, property taxes, auto loans, and other obligations, and harms credit records
- Fraudsters contact people in immigrant communities and threaten them with arrest or deportation if they don’t pay nonexistent debts
- Consumer data — including data shared with financial services companies, landlords, social services, colleges and universities, and utility companies — can be used to target people for immigration enforcement
This issue brief sets forth ways that states, counties, and local governments can help protect immigrants, their families, and communities from financial exploitation and other consumer abuses, including links to relevant legislation and resources. The categories we address are: the cash economy, anti-discrimination, fraud, the criminal legal system, access to justice, consumer privacy and data, financial and social assistance, rental housing, and language access.
See all resources related to: Access to Justice, Auto Sales & Finance, Consumer Protection Regulation, Consumer Protections for Tenants, Credit Reporting & Data Fairness, Criminal Justice, Debt & Bankruptcy, Equity & Racial Justice, Homeownership & Foreclosure, Student Loans