Like in any neighborhood, Miami Beach condos have associations that among many other things, collect fees and set rules. Each association has rules that may differ slightly, such as allowing or not allowing pets. When it comes to immigration status, can they also make rules that might prevent people from moving in?

A real world example of such a situation actually occurred here in South Florida where an association decided not to allow a person to rent or lease from any owner because they were an illegal immigrant. Now both federal and state laws prohibit rejecting a lease or rental agreement because of where a person comes from or the country they were born in. If said person is looking for Miami Beach condos and entered the country illegally however, there may be no grounds for discrimination. Lack of not possessing proper immigration paperwork is a gray area.

Why would an association even bother to go that far? It's believed that because there was no way of checking credit and/or a person's background, it's more of a preventative measure since it can't be determined how financially responsible the person might be. Although the majority of Miami Beach condos don't have this stipulation, it's worth considering. Do you think immigrants should be barred from having a place to live?