{"id":200052,"date":"2026-03-02T04:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T04:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/200052\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T04:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T04:04:19","slug":"homeless-migrant-family-on-skid-row-better-off-in-colombia-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/200052\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeless migrant family on Skid Row better off in Colombia: Advocate"},"content":{"rendered":"

An illegal immigrant family living with their 6-year-old son on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles<\/a> would have been better staying put in Colombia.<\/p>\n

CEO of VetComm Kate Monroe said the family of four have found themselves living with \u201dzombies\u201d and people \u201coverdosing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said illegals who sneak into California are quickly realizing their dreams of an better life in America \u201dis an illusion\u201d as they live in filth in places like the notorious Los Angeles district.<\/p>\n

Six-year-old Dylan plays with a toy helicopter in front of his family\u2019s motorhome on Skid Row in downtown LA. Apu Gomes for CA Post<\/p>\n

Her comments come after citizen journalist Nick Shirley uncovered one family living in a tent<\/a> and mobile home on Skid Row surrounded by addicts.<\/p>\n

The group, which included a six-year-old boy named Dylan, were found living in squalor and struggling to make ends meet after coming to the US from Colombia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t think they were going to come here and end up in a tent,\u201d Monroe said, adding many illegals made it over the US border with the help of cartels and have no idea where to go once they get here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re living on the street with a bunch of zombies<\/a>. They\u2019re walking over disease, and filth. And they might walk by someone who\u2019s overdosing. It\u2019s scary,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Angelo, Dylan, Julia, and Antonio outside their Skid Row motorhome. Apu Gomes for CA Post<\/p>\n

Monroe, who has explored drug-ravaged areas all over the West Coast and visited Skid Row in January with gubernatorial candidate Sheriff Chad Bianco<\/a>, says the illegals have it worse here than at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were not safe when they came here and they aren\u2019t safe now. The American dream is an illusion,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

The migrants are getting shaken down on a daily basis she adds, paying a \u201dspot fee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dYou can\u2019t just set up a tent or park a motorhome. One street may be run by one gang, and the other by a cartel,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

Six-year-old Dylan has lived in the motorhome with his family for over two months, parked in the notorious LA slum. Apu Gomes for CA Post<\/p>\n

Monroe says most of the illegals living like Angelo\u2019s family want to leave America: \u201cIt\u2019s going to be very difficult for them to get off of Skid Row and find a place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

The California Post found Dylan playing with his toy helicopter in his pajamas while sitting on the sidewalk filled with needles and trash.<\/p>\n

He has lived out of a motorhome on Stanford Street in the worst section of LA\u2019s slum for over two months, after his parents\u00a0Angelo and Julia parked their motorhome on the notorious street.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles\u2019 Skid Row is lined with homeless encampments and is rife with drug abuse. Apu Gomes for CA Post<\/p>\n

Angelo\u2019s brother Antonio also lives with them. \u201cWe were on Towne [a street just a block away] but we didn\u2019t think we\u2019d survive,\u201d Angelo, 27, told The Post through a translator.<\/p>\n

Living on Skid Row has Dylan\u2019s mom Julia terrified something will happen to him. They lock themselves in the motorhome when Angelo steps out, but that\u2019s not safe either.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other day a motorhome was set on fire and everything in it burned up,\u201d Julia said. Daily life is brutal. Whole blocks are swallowed by tents<\/a>. Sidewalks have been turned into makeshift bedrooms and kitchens.<\/p>\n

Open-air drug use is seen daily. Untreated mental illness plays out on the pavement. Chronic medical crises unfold curbside, day after day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts not a good place for a kid,\u201d says Angelo, who illegally crossed the US border two years ago from Colombia with his family during the Biden administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The trip took two and half months, with the the family taking the train, but mostly walking through the jungle. They crossed from Mexico into California.<\/p>\n

Angelo says he makes $150 a day working construction. He once had an apartment, but claimed it was dangerous due to rampant drug use in the building.<\/p>\n

The Post did not see a police officer patrolling the area or any outreach services during the three-hour visit. All of this exists against the backdrop of massive public spending<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In recent years, LA has committed billions of dollars toward homelessness programs, including shelters, outreach, permanent supportive housing and mental health services.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority<\/a> alone manages hundreds of millions of dollars annually in city, county, state and federal funds. The authority wasn\u2019t immediately available for comment.<\/p>\n

The county\u2019s Skid Row Action Plan has directed roughly $280 million toward expanded housing, health care and supportive services in the area since 2022, yet Skid Row still remains.<\/p>\n

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