Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman slammed the soft treatment that squatters receive during an interview with the New York Post published on Saturday.
A TikTok user went viral in late March for telling illegal immigrants how to use so-called “squatters rights” to “invade” empty houses after a New Yorker was reportedly detained for allegedly trying to kick such individuals out of her own home. Fetterman slammed the idea that squatters should be allowed to occupy someone else’s home, and told the NYP “I am not woke.”
“Squatters have no rights,” Fetterman said. “How can you even pretend that this is anything other than you’re just breaking the law?” (RELATED: REPORT: Man Arrested After NYC Squatters Allegedly Set Home On Fire)
“It’s wild, that if you go away on a long trip, for 30 days, and someone breaks into your home and suddenly they have rights,” Fetterman continued. “This is crazy. Like if somebody stole your car, and then they held it for 30 days, then somehow you now have some rights?”
Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation to End the Squatters Scam & Protect Homeowners https://t.co/MjqOKiAHPZ
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 27, 2024
Two teenaged squatters that were wanted for the death of a woman, who was found dead in a duffle bag inside a New York City apartment, were arrested in Pennsylvania on March 22, according to the NYP.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation on March 27 to crack down on the “squatters scam” in his state by streamlining the process in which authorities can remove such individuals from homes. The bill also added three new crimes in relation to squatting.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 15: U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) departs from the Senate Chambers in the U.S. Capitol Building on November 15, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Fetterman also took aim at soft-on-crime policies that allow repeat offenders to roam free, including in the case of New York Police Department officer Jonathan Diller who was killed allegedly by an individual who was previously arrested 21 times.
MASSAPEQUA, NEW YORK – MARCH 28: Former President Donald Trump walks to give a brief statement after attending the wake of slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller at the Massapequa Funeral Home on March 28, 2024 in Massapequa, New York. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“If this individual is convicted, then he should spend the rest of his life in prison, and never have an opportunity to get out,” Fetterman told the NYP. “If you have those kinds of established records, it doesn’t serve any greater goal to allow people that are offending, offending, offending and allow them to not be held accountable.”
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