A prominent migrant TikToker with over 500,000 followers recently released a video showing illegal immigrants how to “invade” unoccupied homes and obtain squatter’s rights in the U.S.
NEW – Migrant on TikTok tells illegal immigrants how to "invade" American homes and invoke "squatter's rights."https://t.co/ejvVNVQ7Hu
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 21, 2024
TikTok sensation Leonel Moreno, who is a Venezuelan national and lives in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, released a video saying that under U.S. law, “If a house is not inhabited, we can seize it.”
It appears that Moreno was referring to adverse possession laws, otherwise known as squatter’s rights, which permit unlawful property occupants rights over the property they occupy without the homeowner’s consent.
In a TikTok video that has garnered over 3.9 million views, the Venezuelan national claimed that his “African friends” have “already taken about seven homes.”
Moreno argued that the only way for illegal immigrants to escape life on the streets and not become a “public burden” is to “invade” unoccupied homes.
The TikTok star’s video was met with backlash, with many users on the platform noting that the issue of squatting has become a significant problem in the U.S. in recent years, mostly in Democrat-run cities like New York City, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
“This guy needs to be charged with whatever crime,” one of the critics wrote.
“Pretty sure this is illegal and I feel like he’s encouraging others to engage in illegal activities,” another user said.
A third individual called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to “please investigate that Venezuelan.”
Laws corresponding to squatters exist in all 50 U.S. states, providing trespassers with multiple protections if they legally occupy a home, making it difficult for homeowners to evict them.
In New York City, individuals who could remain on a property for 30 days can claim squatter’s rights.
Moreno, who is referred to as the “Migrant Influencer,” has shared videos on social media touting his efforts to earn money by begging on the streets while receiving government handouts.
In February 2024, Moreno made headlines when he urged his fellow migrants to support 15-year-old Jesus Alejandro Rivas-Figueroa, who was charged as an adult with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a tourist in Times Square, New York, and striking officers.
“I invite you to look for [his] mother and all of us join to pay the bail, so that this young Venezuelan feels that you’re not alone in difficult times, but remembers that there is a God up there who sees. Today it could be him, tomorrow it could be you … He did something wrong, it’s okay,” Moreno said in a TikTok video on Feb. 12, 2024.
