The topic of “squatter’s rights” has gained increased attention across the U.S. recently in the wake of troubling anecdotes that suggest homeowners have fewer rights than criminals who try to steal their property.
NEW: New York City homeowner gets arrested after changing the locks on *her own home* after it got taken over by squatters.
Never do business in New York.
In NYC, anyone can simply claim "squatter's rights" after 30 days of living at a home which isn't even enough time for the… pic.twitter.com/xkcfYM9l7u
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 19, 2024
Now, TikTok influencer Leonel Moreno, identified as a migrant from Venezuela, is calling on fellow migrants to capitalize on these loopholes by breaking into homes they do not own and refusing to leave.
“I found out that there is a law that says if a house is not inhabited we can seize it,” he bragged in Spanish.
The video, which has been viewed on TikTok millions of times, includes Moreno’s plan to turn “land invasion” into his next big money-making scheme.
“My African friends have told me that they have already taken about seven homes,” he added. “You have to look for the return, and the return right now is to invade a house.”
Moreno added that his “next business” will be “invading abandoned houses.”
Going on to portray undocumented migrants, not the homeowners he is encouraging them to target, as the real victims, he claimed that becoming squatters is the “only way we have to not live in the street and not be a public burden.”
While a growing number of squatters across the country clearly agree with his assessment of America’s current legal landscape, plenty of TikTok users expressed a dim view of his advice.
“Pretty sure this is illegal and I feel like he’s encouraging others to engage in illegal activities,” one comment to the video stated.
Others called for him to face criminal charges and many described his video as a symptom of a much bigger problem that has been exacerbated by the Biden administration.
“Why do we even have laws in this country that allow illegals to come in and seize homes they don’t own?” one critic asked. “Our country is getting taken over. And our government is letting it happen.”
Of course, this video was not the only time Moreno offered controversial advice to those willing to take advantage of America’s convoluted legal system.
“I don’t like to work,” he admitted in one video. “Work is for slaves, kids. … Don’t humiliate yourself.”
He went further in another video, claiming that he is allergic to work.
“You work, I don’t,” Moreno said. “But in the end, neither of us have money. They keep criticizing us because I live off of taxes that you pay monthly.”
