Immigration Rules Get Bianca Jagger Evicted

By Jeralyn, Section Social Justice
Posted on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 12:49:13 PM EST
Tags: Bianca Jagger (all tags)

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It's not just the poor who get hit with penalties over our immigration policy. Bianca Jagger, anti-death penalty and human rights activist, just got hit with eviction from her New York City apartment because of it.

Bianca rented the apartment for 20 years. She battled the landlord the past several of them, since she sued him for mold damage. The court has ruled against her and appeals are over. The Sheriff came to move her things to storage. The reason:

[The landlord] argued that the 18th-floor apartment couldn't be Jagger's primary residence — a requirement for occupying a rent-stabilized unit — since she was in the U.S. on a tourist visa that required her to show that she intended to leave after a temporary stay. The state Supreme Court's Appellate Division agreed in October, noting that Jagger, who is a British citizen, keeps at least one luxury apartment in London.

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Immigration Rules Get Bianca Jagger Evicted | 19 comments (19 topical)

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One Anglofascist down (5.00 / 1) (#17)
by scarshapedstar on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:56:29 PM EST

I'll sleep safer tonight.

not to be nit picky or anything, (none / 0) (#1)
by cpinva on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 12:53:16 PM EST

but i fail to see the connection between ms. jagger's failure to follow the law, and our immigration policy. frankly, if she were planning on immigrating, she's had 20 years, and far more resources available to her, to do so.

rent control is another issue entirely.

: Those were my thoughts too. (none / 0) (#5)
by jerry on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:24:05 PM EST

I can't be too upset with either side trying out various legal shenanigans on each other, both sides have far too much money for me to care either about their rental or renter woes or their problems getting a decent lawyer to help them apply for a permanent visa.

: The law of... (none / 0) (#18)
by desertswine on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 05:12:15 PM EST

I want more money.

Under the complex rent regulation laws, evicting her may allow the landlord to raise the $4,600-a-month rent substantially.
I don't feel bad.

: Apparently the law of (none / 0) (#19)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 05:26:41 PM EST

I'm going to try to game the system and get a 18th floor 2br Park friggin' Ave apt. for, what, 1/2? 1/3? of it's fair market rate.

Well, (none / 0) (#2)
by Deconstructionist on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:15:40 PM EST

if we had "open borders" and just allowed anyone to come here for any or no reason and stay as long a time as she desire without any documentation, there would not have been documents available to the landlord to establish she was not being consistent in claiming the apartment was her primary residence.

That for visa issues she wanted to be considered a tourist but for purposes of landlord-tenant issues she wanted to be considered a permanent resident of a particular apartment in NY obviously was extremely damaging to her in this dispute. What could be more unfair?

Can you not understand why we should reform our immigration policies to make it easier for poor folks like Bianca Jagger to win landlord-tenant cases by not having their false claims disproven?

Rent-stabilized apartments (none / 0) (#3)
by expertlaw on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:26:48 PM EST

But for rent control, the landlord probably would have been happy to continue to rent to her at market rates. And, no doubt, she can afford market rates.

Actually, immigration rules did not get her (none / 0) (#4)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 01:30:49 PM EST

evicted, the rent-control rules did. I'm with JM, if her position is anti such gvt-mandated restrictions of landlord's rights.

In California, she would probably have (none / 0) (#6)
by oculus on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:25:58 PM EST

grounds for claiming she was evicted in relaliation for suing for mold.

Made my day (none / 0) (#7)
by jimakaPPJ on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:31:10 PM EST

Gee... Imagine that.

The Bianca Jagger having to play by the rules.

Didn'r these folks know who she is??

You mean (none / 0) (#8)
by Jen M on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 02:50:09 PM EST

aside from being a Rolling Stones wife? Has she done more?


Nope. I just mean what I wrote. (1.00 / 0) (#10)
by jimakaPPJ on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:09:43 PM EST

Do you think being married to Nick gave her special rights??

Evidently she does.


: oh h**l no (none / 0) (#11)
by Jen M on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:17:42 PM EST

She's not really... (none / 0) (#9)
by desertswine on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 03:50:14 PM EST

a bad person.

Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree from the Stone Hill College in Massachusetts in 1983

1994 United Nations Earth Day award

Hispanic Federation of New York City's Humanitarian Award

1996 Woman of the Year Title from the Boys Town of Italy

1996 Abolitionist of the Year Award from the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

1997 Green Globe award from the Rain Forest Alliance

1997 Amnesty International USA Media Spotlight Award for Leadership

1998 American Civil Liberties Union Award

2000 Champion of Justice Award

2003 International Award from International Services

2004 World Achievement Award from Mikhail Gorbachev

2004 Right Livelihood Award

2006 World Citizenship Award from The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

2006 Office of the Americas Peace and Justice Award.

On November 1, 1997, she was inducted to the Hall of Fame in Miami Children's Hospital Foundation.

(via wikipedia)

why isn't there some sort of visa (none / 0) (#12)
by Jen M on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:18:49 PM EST

for people who want to live in the us part time?

Its not just the rich.

There are. (none / 0) (#13)
by Deconstructionist on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:27:43 PM EST

and she obviously has obtained them. They include "B class" visas for people coming for business or pleasure without intent to seek permanent residency or naturalization. they are just didfficult to get renewed over and over again unless you are rich or connected.

which makes me wonder (none / 0) (#14)
by cpinva on Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 04:34:43 PM EST

why she doesn't have one, since she is clearly both. however, that wouldn't negate the main issue: she can't claim to have, as her primary residence, a home in a country she isn't a permanent resident of. that's sort of basic law.


: sorry, you're right. (none / 0) (#20)
by cpinva on Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 12:13:50 AM EST

the worst part is, i was looking right at that, as i was typing!

She's rich (none / 0) (#21)
by katmandu on Mon Jan 07, 2008 at 07:31:27 PM EST

Let her follow the rules and pay full price