A former US housing secretary has warned that squatters will ‘destroy America from within’ by plunging the country into ‘chaos and anarchy’.
Ben Carson said failing to protect law-abiding citizens from squatters will only encourage other forms of crime.
“We’ve gone a little crazy,” he told Fox. ‘Squatters’ rights? You are kidding me. Squatters have no rights.
“They have no right to be in your house. What are they going to get next? Rights of the offender? It doesn’t make any sense.’
His comments come after squatting was thrust into the spotlight by the case of Susana and Joseph Landa, whose new $2 million Long Island home fell prey to a squatter.
Former US Housing Secretary Ben Carson, pictured with Donald Trump in 2017, warned that squatters will ‘destroy Americans from within’
Brett Flores has been locked up in the Douglastown estate since October. He moved in as a caretaker for the previous homeowner and hasn’t left since.
He claims that the house was left to him by the previous owner when he died.
The couple are now embroiled in a lengthy court battle with the former male model, 32, who they claim has racked up huge maintenance bills for which they are liable.
Carson served as the 17th U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021.
He warned that situations like that of the Landas could become more common unless strong action is taken.
“We must protect law-abiding citizens. If you’re not going to protect law-abiding citizens, why should they be law-abiding citizens? You are encouraging mass chaos and anarchy,” he said.
He emphasized that without legislation, more homeowners could fall prey to squatters in situations similar to the invasion of Susana and Joseph Landa’s $2 million home on Long Island (pictured).
Brett Flores has been locked up in the Douglastown estate since October and is now embroiled in a lengthy lawsuit over the house.
The Landas bought the house in October but were unable to move in because Flores claims the mansion’s former owner, Fernandez, left the property to him when he died.
“And it seems to me that someone is actually trying to do that, because the United States is very strong militarily, but we can certainly be destroyed from within.”
The situation was able to escalate to this point due to New York’s squatters’ rights laws.
Under the rules, a person who lives in a property for more than 30 days can be considered a tenant, making unilateral eviction more difficult.
However, last month new legislation was passed that aims to redefine tenants and give police the power to remove them in the event of squatting.
The issue is not unique to New York either. Last year, the owners of a luxury Airbnb in Brentwood accused Elizabeth Hirschorn of squatting.
Hirschhorn, 55, sublet a room in a $2.6 million home in Oakland in September 2019, but refused to move after the original tenant moved out due to her behavior.
She was finally booted in November 2023 after the owners were forced to call in the police and locksmiths to get her out.
Last year, the owners of a $2.6 million luxury Airbnb in Brentwood accused a tenant of squatting
Elizabeth Hirschhorn, pictured posing with a fellow graduate at her Harvard alumni reunion in 2015, was eventually booted in November 2023 after intervention by police and locksmiths.
Although trespassing is illegal in every state, laws regarding squatters’ rights vary.
Many places rely on civil courts to handle property disputes, allowing squatters to game the system.
This has resulted in a squatting crisis in cities across the country. According to the National Rental Home Council, Atlanta has been hit hardest, with 1,200 homes currently illegally occupied.
In October, a house in Atlanta was taken over by squatters who ran an illegal strip club on weekends and kept horses on the property.