New Bill to Deport Migrants Caught Squatting in People’s Homes Introduced to Congress

The bill’s sponsor said It will ‘force migrants to think twice’ before attempting to trespass on an American’s property.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Hawthorne, Calif., on March 1, 2020. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

As stories of illegal immigrants-turned-squatters make national headlines, a new bill in Congress would make it a deportable offense for foreign nationals to squat in American homes.

The bill, dubbed SHIELD (Safeguarding Homes from Illegal Entry, Living and Dwelling) Act, was introduced Friday by Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.). The two-page proposal designates trespassing as grounds on which foreigners can be expelled and permanently banned from admission into the United States.