Squatting is a lot like Something Else
As if inflation and high interest rates weren’t enough of a worrisome burden for property owners, squatters are now seizing American homes. This phenomenon occurs nationwide though some cities are disproportionally affected. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, has 475 homes now occupied by squatters, while 125 homes in Orange County, Florida, are under the control of interlopers. Atlanta, Georgia, is the hardest hit with 1,200 homes occupied by squatters according to the National Rental Home Council (NRHC) trade group. The problem is so bad some residents are too afraid to leave their homes for a vacation.
By definition, and in practice, squatting is trespassing, occupying space without consent that you don’t own, and refusing to leave. If this sounds vaguely familiar to another contemporary problem, here are several more clues to link the two.
- Squatters are adept at identifying loopholes in the law, and if none exist, defy the law anyway.
- While laws vary by state, squatters understand that after a certain period of time, they’ll never have to leave.
- The more squatters successfully achieve their objectives, the more motivation there is for future squatters.
- Inherent in squatting is lawlessness and a sense of entitlement that diminish property values, and compromise stability and standards within a community.
Ok, we know, it’s not a tough quiz question: squatting sounds — and is — a lot like illegal immigration! The behavior, by and large, is similar for 16.8 million illegal aliens currently residing in the U.S., with 150,000 to 200,000 more arriving each month.
Unlike illegal immigration, however, the Biden administration shows some concern about squatting, but in the process, exposes its deep hypocrisy. In a recent White House briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre remarked, “My understanding is that this (squatting) is obviously a local issue,” Jean-Pierre said. “We are certainly tracking it. The rights of property owners and renters must be protected.”
“And we believe that ultimately what needs to happen is that the local government needs to make sure that they address this, and they take action,” the press secretary continued. Ironically, the Department of Homeland Security, recently arrested eight illegal aliens squatting in a Bronx residence, on weapons and drug charges. Six of them were released with no bail and only one of them has been placed in deportation proceedings.
That’s all great except notice that the Biden administration has no interest in dispensing similar encouragement to local governments besieged by illegal aliens. That’s because when it comes to the immigration issue, this administration rejects collaborative federalism, an American tradition whereby all levels of government and law enforcement cooperate to uphold our nation’s laws. As such, any local and state effort designed to help mitigate illegal immigration is attacked, fueled by President Biden’s assertion that enforcement is strictly a federal responsibility — a stance that affords the White House exclusive command and control over immigration for the luxury of doing…absolutely nothing.
So on one hand, the Biden administration recognizes it’s appropriate for local governments to seek solutions to squatting — it is — yet on the other hand, even though it’s equally appropriate for local governments to seek solutions for their illegal alien problems, this administration will drag them into federal court when they do so.
But maybe it’s just a matter of time before Jean-Pierre’s message becomes more consistent. If the sheer volume of squatters ever begins to approach the level of illegal aliens – thus representing a sizable and decisive potential future voting block – it’ll probably be a “hands-off-at-the-local-level” message from the White House for them too.
Because as usual….politics, not principles, dictates policies.