A migrant TikToker went viral for telling the influx of illegal immigrants flooding into the country how to “invade” American homes and invoke squatter’s rights to stay there.
Migrants taking advantage of squatter’s rights
Venezuelan-born Leonel Moreno, who now resides in a Columbus, Ohio suburb, claimed that fellow migrants can take advantage of United States laws to steal property.
“If a house is not inhabited, we can seize it,” he told his followers in a social media video.
Moreno seemed to be alluding to the legal concept of adverse possession, colloquially known as squatter’s rights. This law sometimes grants unlawful inhabitants of a property certain rights over it without the consent of the owner.
Holy smokes. Tiktoker is advising illegals on how to take over Americans’ homes via progressive squatters’ rights laws. This tiktoker boasts that his friends already took over 7 homes. Unreal. pic.twitter.com/y03Cag77xA
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 20, 2024
In the widely viewed TikTok video, which amassed over 3.9 million views, Moreno said that he had “African friends” who had repeatedly used this method to take “about seven homes.”
Moreno claimed that the only means for fellow migrants to avoid homelessness and not become a “public burden” was to “invade” homes that were not in use.
Social media reacts squatter’s rights tutorial
The idea of promoting squatting as presented by Moreno sparked intense reactions among TikTok users, as blatantly illegal tenancy has become a national issue on the rise.
“This guy needs to be charged with whatever crime,” one incensed critic insisted.
“Break into my house, and you’re getting a dose of lead higher than that of your elementary school water fountain you drank out of as a kid,” another posted.
Another concerned individual tagged the FBI, urging the federal agency to “investigate this Venezuelan national.”
“I think this guy is going to learn about the 2nd amendment pretty soon,” someone else added.
Squatter laws exist in all 50 states in the U.S., often providing trespassers with a too many protections once they establish a legitimate presence on a property and making it a nightmare for the actual owners.
NYC homeowner takes on migrants claiming squatter’s rights
For example, in New York City, mere 30 days on a property could be enough for someone to claim squatter’s rights.
A situation that affected a woman named Adele Andaloro, a homeowner in Flushing, Queens, who was arrested after a confrontation with squatters refusing to vacate her family’s home.
After inheriting the million-dollar home from her late parents and intending to sell it, Andaloro ran into conflict during an attempt to change the locks of the property, leading to her being taken into custody by law enforcement on charges of illegal eviction.
The acts of changing locks out, cutting off utilities, or displacing the squatters’ possessions, render squatters legally akin to “tenants.
Homeowner arrested for kicking out illegal tenants
When Andaloro and an ABC 7 news crew entered the house during an interview, they encountered two men within the premises.
She told them to get out and called a locksmith to re-secure her property, but the squatters actually had the gall to call 911 on Andaloro kicking them out.
Police arrived and she showed them the deed to her property, while the two men were unable to show evidence that they had lived there for 30 days or more.
Before the cops escorted the men away and left, they told Andaloro that changing the locks could land her in hot water. The locksmith came anyway and the two illegal tenants forced their way back in less than ten minutes later.
Astonishingly, instead of arresting the men for forced entry, the officers took Andaloro into custody for switching out the locks on her own home.
One of the men, identified as Brian Rodriguez, said he wouldn’t leave until she paid him for the work he did on the house without her permission, or got a court order, which can take up to 20 months in New York City.
“You got to go to court and send me to court,” the illegal tenant remarked. “Pay me the money, and I’ll leave, or send me to court. It’s that simple.”
