ACLU sues Colo. landlords for allegedly threatening, harassing migrant tenants

• A Colorado judge issued a preliminary injunction against landlords Avi Schwalb and Nancy Dominguez. The two are accused of threatening to contact immigration authorities against a Venezuelan migrant family over unpaid rent.
• The ACLU filed a lawsuit claiming the landlords used racial slurs and violated Colorado’s Immigrant Tenant Protection Act.
• The court order mandates the landlords stop harassing the family. A trial date has not been set.

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A Colorado judge issued a preliminary injunction against landlords in Aurora. They are accused of threatening their tenants, who are Venezuelan migrants.

According to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of the Venezuelan family, the defendants, landlords Avi Schwalb and Nancy Dominguez, told the family they would report them to immigration services after they began experiencing financial hardship and fell behind on rent.

The family has a pending asylum application.

The ACLU’s complaint states the family owed $4,200 from missed rental payments between Nov. 1, 2024, and Jan. 31, 2025.

The ACLU alleges Schwalb and Dominguez used racial slurs against the Venezuelan family and told them on or around Jan. 15 that they had 10 days to pay or vacate the premises.

When Schwalb returned to their residence on Jan. 24, the ACLU’s complaint says he told the family they had one to two hours to leave, or immigration would show up to the apartment and they would be out.

The ACLU claims the landlords changed the locks to the door and told the family to sleep in the cold.

In the complaint, the ACLU cited Colorado’s Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, which forbids “landlords from threatening, harassing, and retaliating against tenants — on the basis of their actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status.”

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Arapahoe County District Court Judge Thomas Henderson issued a preliminary injunction against the landlords, meaning they must stop their alleged harassment and threats toward the Venezuelan family.

The ACLU of Colorado released a statement saying, “This is welcome news for our clients. No family deserves to be harassed and threatened because of their immigration status. This case will not only impact their lives — but every tenant and every immigrant in the state. We’ll keep fighting for all of them.”

A trial date has not been set.

Schwalb declined an interview with local Denver media outlets.