Former US housing secretary reveals how squatters will 'destroy America from within'

A former US housing secretary has warned 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 criminality.

'We've kind of lost our minds,' he told Fox. 'Squatter's rights? You've got to be kidding me. Squatters don't have any rights. 

'They have no right to be in your house. What are they going to have next? Trespasser's rights? It makes no sense whatsoever.' 

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 American from within'

Brett Flores has been holed up in the Douglastown property since October. He moved in as a caretaker for the previous homeowner and has not left since.

He claims that he was bequeathed the home by the prior owner when he died.

The couple are now embroiled in a lengthy court process with the former male model, 32, who they claim has run up huge maintenance bills for which they are liable.

Carson was the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. 

He warned situations like the Landas' could become more common unless tough action is taken.

'We have to protect the law abiding citizens. If you're not going to protect the law-abiding citizens, why should they be law-abiding citizens? You're encouraging mass chaos and anarchy,' he said.

He stressed that without legislation, more homeowners could fall prey to squatters in situations similar to the invasion of Susana and Joseph Landa's $2 million Long Island home (pictured)

Brett Flores has been holed up in the Douglastown property since October and is now embroiled in a lengthy court battle over the home

The Landas bought the home in October but have not been able to move in, as Flores claims the mansion's former owner, Fernandez, left the property to him when he died 

'And it seems to me like somebody might be 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 living on a property for more than 30 days could be deemed a tenant, making a unilateral eviction difficult.

However, last month new legislation was passed which seeks to redefine tenants, to empower police to remove them in cases of squatting. 

The issue is not unique to New York either. Last year, the owners of an upmarket Airbnb in Brentwood accused Elizabeth Hirschorn of squatting.

Hirschhorn, 55, sublet a room at a $2.6M home in Oakland in September 2019 but refused to move out after the original tenant left due to her behavior.

She was eventually booted in November of 2023 after the owners were forced to call in the police and locksmiths to get her out. 

Last year, the owners of an upmarket $2.6 million Airbnb in Brentwood accused a tenant of squatting

Elizabeth Hirschhorn, pictured posing with a fellow grad at her Harvard alumni reunion in 2015, was eventually booted in November 2023 following intervention by the police and locksmiths 

While trespassing is illegal in every state, laws concerning squatters' rights vary. 

Many places depend on civil courts to handle property disputes, enabling squatters to game the system.

This has culminated in a squatting crisis in cities across the country. According to the National Rental Home Council, Atlanta has been hit the hardest, with 1,200 homes currently illegally occupied.

In October, an Atlanta home was taken over by squatters who ran an illegal strip club inside on weekends and kept horses on the property.