Donald Trump Issues Ominous Warning to Squatters

Donald Trump has issued a warning to those squatting in homes across the U.S.

“If you have illegal aliens invading your home, we will deport you,” the former president said at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.

Trump’s awkwardly phrased remark, sounding like he was planning to deport American homeowners, led to mockery on social media.

“So, if there were illegal immigrants at Mar-A-Lago we should deport Trump?” journalist Brian Karen wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Trump has been leaning into inflammatory rhetoric about the surge of migrants at the southern border since he became the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

He has accused migrants of “poisoning the blood of the country” and pledged that he would launch the largest domestic deportation operation in U.S. history if he wins a second term in November.

Newsweek has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment via email.

Former tennis player Andy Roddick joined in the mockery of Trump’s comment, writing: “So if I get invaded I also get deported? Do I get deported if a legal alien invades me? What happens to the invaders.”

Author James Surowiecki wrote: “Damn. First illegal aliens invade your home, then you get deported. I am not looking forward to a Trump presidency.”

Another person wrote: “Can I choose where I get deported?”

Trump’s remarks come after several states have seen incidents involving homeowners’ attempts to remove squatters from their property.

Squatters are individuals who inhabit a piece of land or a building that they do not have a legal right to occupy, according to the American Apartment Owners Association. They live in the building or on the property without paying rent and without lawful documentation stating they own the property, are a law-abiding tenant or that they have permission to use or access the area.

Squatters rights, also known as “adverse possession” laws, exist in all 50 states across the U.S., but how and when these laws are enforced differ from state to state.

However, some states are taking action to help homeowners boot squatters off their properties more quickly.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new legislation last week that allows homeowners to ask police to immediately remove squatters from their property. The legislation also creates criminal penalties for anyone presenting a falsified lease or doing more than $1,000 in damage.

On Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that squatting was a “local issue” and that it is “critical that local governments take action to address it.”

“My understanding is that this is obviously a local issue,” she said. “We are certainly tracking that issue. The rights of property owners and renters must be protected, and we believe that ultimately, what needs to happen, is that local government needs to make sure that they address this and they take action.”

Update 4/3/24, 3:55 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.