Immigration law forces families to flee St. Louis suburb
Associated Press
www.kansascity.com
Aug 17, 2006
A new law in the St. Louis suburb Valley Park has forced more than 20 families to leave the town, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis is helping them relocate.
An ordinance passed July 17 fines landlords $500 per violation for knowingly renting to illegal immigrants. Many of the families that have left were staying at Cheryl Lane Apartments. Some left so quickly they didn't take their furniture, apartment owner James Zhang told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Zhang and his apartment manager went door-to-door last week, telling residents that if they weren't in the country legally, they needed to move out. Of his 48 units, 20 are now empty, said Zhang, noting that the fine is more than the $450 he charges for monthly rent.
The archdiocese's Hispanic Ministry has helped families move and find new places and has even provided rent money, said Hector Molina, the ministry's director. Most families have mixed citizenship status, he said, meaning some members are in the country legally while others are not.
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