A San Francisco tenant from Russia in federal immigration custody is being evicted by his landlord in absentia. He is set to lose his housing Monday due to his inability to appear in court.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Monday morning, the 42-year-old, who fled Russia due to political persecution, will be nowhere near the McCallister Street eviction court where his case is scheduled to be heard. Mission Local is not identifying the man by name for fear of repercussion from federal immigration agents.<\/p>\n
Lawyers representing the San Francisco landlord have refused to reschedule the man\u2019s eviction hearing even though they are aware of the tenant\u2019s detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to attorneys with the nonprofit Eviction Defense Collaborative, which has been working with the tenant since he first received notification of his eviction at the end of October.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The legal firm for the landlord, a limited liability corporation titled 33 8th Street, declined a request to postpone the trial, saying that the Eviction Defense Collaborative is not the \u201cattorney of record\u201d and cannot ask for a continuance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That firm, Bornstein Law, did not respond to multiple requests for comment, nor did the people behind the LLC. Trinity Properties, one of San Francisco\u2019s largest landlords, which owns a building<\/a> at that address, also did not respond.<\/p>\n Under normal circumstances, the man would have to appear in court to ask for his eviction trial to be postponed. But because he is in a detention center, he cannot do so. ICE did not respond to requests for comment about whether they would allow the man to appear, even virtually.<\/p>\n