East Harlem tenants say landlord weaponizes ICE fears to intimidate immigrant renters
Sep 21, 2026New York, NY
Rent-stabilized tenants in East Harlem, mostly noncitizens from Ecuador and Mexico, say landlord Steven Croman and his staff have harassed them for years, including by asking about immigration status after ICE agents were seen at one tenant's door in April 2025. Tenants believe the questioning and a subsequent call from Croman were intimidation tactics tied to their immigration status. Croman's company has been accused by the New York Attorney General of illegally displacing rent-stabilized tenants to convert units to market-rate rentals.