A state bill that bars landlords from harassing or discriminating against tenants based on their immigration status or perceived immigration status has moved one step closer to becoming law.

The Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, a bill by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, passed the California Senate on Thursday. The bill now returns to the Assembly for a final vote, and then must be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown to become law.

“Tenants should not have to live in fear simply because they are immigrants or refugees. Trump’s escalating war on immigrants is ripping apart families, and mass deportations could be our new reality,” said Assemblyman Chiu in a statement issued by his chief of staff. “This bill will deter the small minority of landlords who unscrupulously take advantage of the real or perceived immigration status of their tenants to engage in abusive acts. I appreciate the support of the Senate.”

AB 291 bars landlords from disclosing information about tenant immigration or citizenship status if the intent is to influence them to vacate a dwelling, and bars landlords from harassing or discriminating against tenants based on their immigration status or perceived immigration status.

Under California law, landlords cannot ask a tenant about their immigration status, but landlords typically have access to sensitive information used to determine financial qualifications of prospective tenants, including Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, or other information. While there are anti-discrimination laws for renters, there are none that specifically prohibit discrimination or harassment based on immigration status.

Chiu has cited complaints his office has received from around the state of landlords threatening to report tenants to immigration authorities unless they vacated their housing units. Sometimes, Chiu said, landlords have targeted tenants for eviction in order to raise rents or after tenants reported problems with their housing.

In an interview with this news organization in May, one resident at an apartment complex in Concord showed pictures of leaks and broken fences that go unfixed, he said, because so many of the tenants are immigrants who fear repercussions if they complain.

The announcement this week that the government will repeal DACA, a program implemented by President Barack Obama that granted deportation relief to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors, has heightened fears in the immigrant community.

The housing advocacy coalition Housing Now urged Gov. Brown to sign the bill into law in a statement issued through a spokeswoman. “After Trump was elected, California’s leadership made a commitment to do everything in their power to protect immigrants from Trump’s attacks. AB291 is an opportunity for Gov. Jerry Brown to follow through on that commitment.”