Local law enforcement officials in several states are warning of an increase in South American criminals taking advantage of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.
Los Angeles Police Department told residents that “robber tourism” has increased over the past five years, Blaze News previously reported.
The criminals, primarily from Chile, enter the United States through the tourist visa system, which does not require travelers from targeted countries to submit background checks.
Once in the country, organized groups target wealthy neighborhoods and use Wi-Fi jammers to disrupt security systems. Criminal organizations steal high-value items such as jewelry, designer wallets, and other valuables to make a quick profit. Once the item is sold, we will send the cash back to your home.
Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said: Los Angeles Times Last month, we noted that while sophisticated robbery rings are not new to the region, they are becoming increasingly active.
“The number of crimes associated with these types of crews has increased significantly,” Mr Hamilton said. “They often target homes that are connected to open spaces, hiking trails, or canyons that they have access to.”
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the perpetrators were “taking advantage of the fact that most people don’t have window sensors or motion detection devices on their second floors.”
Mr. Spitzer said robbers sometimes “lay in wait in this ghillie suit to maintain camouflage.”
Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther said during a recent police meeting. Press conference The robbers are also targeting upscale residential areas in Arizona.
“What we are receiving is that hundreds, if not thousands, of people are coming into the country through the Visa Waiver Program and committing residential burglaries in dozens of cities and neighborhoods across the country. ” Walther said. “This is not a Scottsdale problem, this is not a Valley problem, this is not an Arizona problem. This is a national problem.”
He added: “We have to start aggressively asking questions of the federal government about the Visa Waiver Program.”
CNN Last year, a suspected robber also reported a robbery in Baltimore, Maryland. Raleigh, North Carolina. and Nassau County, New York.
Officials in Ventura County, California, estimate there were about 175 such robberies from 2019 to mid-2023.
Prosecutor Spitzer pointed out that the Chilean government was required to provide background information to its citizens who were granted visa exemptions, but did not do so.
“If you don’t know the criminal background of these people, you can’t tell the judge anything about their background or defend them,” he said. “That means the person will be released without bail and will never come back to face charges.”
Mr. Spitzer called on the Department of Homeland Security to revoke Chile’s participation in the Visa Waiver Program “until the country complies with conducting a criminal background check.”
“This is not a California problem. This is a national problem wreaking havoc in communities across the country,” Spitzer posted. X.
DHS told CNN it is “deeply concerned about some individuals traveling to the United States and engaging in criminal activity.” However, it added that “Chilean authorities responded by increasing operational cooperation with DHS to deter travel by known criminals.”
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