Name: Squatting crisis sweeping some Blue states
Uploaded: 2026-01-12T16:05:38.160Z
Duration: 5 min 33 s
Description: James Jacobs, CEO and founder of ASAP Squatter Removal, joins to discuss fighting back against squatters.

James Jacobs, CEO and founder of ASAP Squatter Removal, joins to discuss fighting back against squatters.

A panel featuring James Jacobs, founder of ASAP Squatter Removal, and Texas landlord attorney Ernie Garcia discussed the growing issue of squatting in several Blue states. Jacobs described his company's 95% success rate in removing squatters in California, often using legal alternatives to the lengthy unlawful detainer process, while noting the risks and costs involved.

Attorney Ernie Garcia contrasted California's legal hurdles with Texas's recent legislation, which allows for faster removal of squatters, shifting power back to property owners. The discussion also referenced a high-profile case in Washington, D.C., and emphasized the importance of property owners scrutinizing tenants. The segment concluded with calls for policy changes to address homelessness and illegal squatting.

Squatting crisis sweeping some Blue states

I am pleased to bring in our panel now. James Jacobs, he's the founder and CEO of ASAP Squatter Removal. He's having massive success with a samurai sword, but it is a dangerous job, and also alongside him, Texas-based landlord attorney Ernie Garcia, to talk about what Governor Abbott is doing to get tough in Texas. Gentlemen, great to have you. James, I want to start with you. We spoke a few days ago. You're back here on the Sunday program. I'm glad, because people don't think they have any ability to get squatters out. They feel defensiveless in California. You've changed that completely. This is video of you. You go in, 95 percent success rate. Tell us how you work your team, how dangerous it is. I know you're a mixed martial artist, but you just found, really, a big—a business, unfortunately, because of the lack of law and order. Yeah, I know. I hear where you're coming from. The reality is, is that there are many legal ways of removing squatters without having go the unlawful detainer route. Unfortunately, people aren't aware of these methods, but many of them are very illegal if there is some form of direct landlord-owner involvement. It's very important to realize that there are other avenues outside of going the unlawful detainer. And until California passes a law where an unlawful detainer is required to remove an occupant, I'm going to continue to keep doing my job. And having a lot of success. It is dangerous work you're doing. Thank you. Ernie, for most people, they just—they get an attorney. They try to do this legally. I mean, what are you supposed to do? It's wild to think that California has a bill that doesn't protect homeowners. Texas is a different story. Governor Greg Abbott has a bill that reduced the timeframe from months to days to remove squatters. How successful have you been there in Texas? And we have to say, Texas, obviously, is not a blue state. Well, I would say it's been a huge success. Sorry, this one's for Ernie, James. Sorry. Right. It shifts the power back into the hands of the property owners, really where it belongs, and shifts the burden onto someone who illegally entered property without any kind of authority. You know, in D.C., a landlord was allegedly locked out of her home. A squatter refused to leave her Airbnb after 32 days. Can you imagine what a nightmare this is? There was a 10-month legal nightmare, thousands of dollars in attorney fees. James, I'm sure you're hearing a lot of this from your clients, so tell us exactly the service you provide. By the way, I'm a little curious what you charge to go in there, because you're face-to-face with some pretty unsavory characters who are squatting. Yeah, well, I mean, in terms of the fees, you know, I think we're actually pretty cheap in comparison to the alternative services out there. People will scoff at my minimum $10,000, but I don't think people have an idea of how much it costs just for armed security. I mean, you can call around the Bay Area, but you're not going to find any security company that's willing to do armed security for less than $50 an hour. And you know, there's a lot of expenses involved in something like this, but it actually is the cheaper route. And anyone who thinks that they're going to just put their life on the line for a minimal amount of money is kind of ridiculous, not to mention the legal fees involved in terms of lawsuits, in terms of all the potential liabilities and so forth, and the training involved in doing this job correctly. I mean, we've had many times where there's been some close calls, but we've been able to stay legal and not have any issues. We have not had one lawsuit that's been successful yet. And you know, we'll continue to keep fighting the good fight. I just want to jump in, because you can help people in Northern California. I don't know if you're going to expand this, but Ernie, if you're in Texas, I mean, a legal retainer could be at least $5,000. So I mean, the $10,000 seems, you know, if you're desperate and you think you need a samurai sword wielding person, James is your guy. But what is your advice to people out there in our final 30 seconds, Ernie, about how people deal with a squatter, whether it be their home at Airbnb? Because it sounds like this has been problematic for so many across the nation. Well, certainly this has a lot to do with authority. And if you're welcoming people in and you haven't scrutinized who you're letting across that threshold, that's a different issue. And that is a preventable problem. But for these people who fall victim to, you know, people come in with fake leases or just break in and say, you got to force me out through a legal process. It's good that in the state of Texas, we have a mechanism for saying, no, you have no legal right to be here. And now the law reflects what common sense reflects, which is you shouldn't stick around and the court shouldn't give blanket protection for people without authority, like they might for people who signed a legitimate contract. Right. And you know what, how about this Gavin Newsom, why don't you just fix homelessness, which you promised to so many years ago. Of course, we don't want to see people on the streets, but squatting is illegal. Attorney Ernie Garcia, thanks for the 411 there in Texas and James Jacobs. Stay safe out there in Northern California as you go face to face. It was a pleasure. The worst of the worst. Thank you, Bianca.

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