Squatters taking over private property, that is, living in and taking control of homes or apartments they do not own and do not have legal right to occupy, has become an increasing problem in America.
It follows the massive influx of illegal aliens allowed in by Joe Biden, the surging costs of housing and other economic factors.
The issue is that states all have some sort of “adverse possession” law that can be read to provide rights for squatters.
And so-called “self-help evictions,” when the actual property owner wants to use a lockout, utility shutoff and removal of belongings to aid the removal of those squatters are banned, meaning owners have to go to court, file paperwork, wait for court hearings, and more, in order to obtain a removal.
Sometimes squatters move into unoccupied homes, sometimes they overstay rental periods, but the resulting legal fights can take months, or years.
One state decided enough was enough, and lawmakers adopted a specific plan to address the problem. They made it a criminal offense.
A report at Cowboy State Daily confirmed that it recently worked.
Squatters who had moved into a locked-up home near Cheyenne and were living there, selling off the owner’s possessions, were confronted by the owner and told him they were squatters, they had rights.
“Then they were arrested and taken to the Laramie County Detention Center,” the report said.
The new law allows law enforcement to take action immediately, removing squatters, if the homeowner can show they are there illegally.
Basically those are risk are those who are not former tenants, co-owners, family members or romantic partners.
“Boy, it’s heartwarming that maybe we got out ahead of something there,” said state Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, who chaired the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee in 2024 that forwarded the plan.
“No question that’s what we want it to do,” he said about Monday’s incident. “We talked about it based on testimony we received from homeowners, and it’s a real issue. It’s something going on nationwide. We found Wyoming indeed had situations like that.”
Lawmakers had been flooded with horror stories from the problem: Squatters moving him, trashing homes, creating a nightmare.
Landen said one duplex in Casper had “extensive” damage that cost thousands for repairs because of squatters.
In the Cheyenne case, Crystal Curiel, 40, and Salvador Curiel-Aviles, 40, were arrested at the scene. In court they face multiple felony counts.
The property owner explained the house had been unoccupied for several years, but he checked it weekly.
Last week, he noticed an open window, his possessions thrown onto the lawn, and outbuildings broken into.
“As (he) opened the door, a female, later identified as Crystal Curiel Ramirez, was walking toward him from inside of the house,” a law enforcement affidavit said “Crystal said something like, ‘Please let me get my stuff and I will get out.’ She also said she was cleaning up the property for him.”
Then a man, Cukriel-Aviles, joined her and both “tried to educate him on why they thought he had to let them keep squatting in the house.”
“Crystal and Salvador both mentioned they are squatters and he cannot make them leave because they had squatter rights numerous times throughout the encounter,” the Deputy Michael Hauf documented.
Landen said, “It’s this, ‘You can’t touch us’ attitude — and boy, that didn’t sit well with our committee and didn’t sit well with the full Legislature. The attitude of people who think they can just take over your house.”
The key is that squatting now in Wyoming is a criminal, not just civil, offense. And the two are accused of not just squatting, but the disappearance of a motorcycle, tools, and other items,
The pair each could face up to 30 years in prison now.
