Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, a Republican, blasted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for “inaction” regarding visa screening following a recent robbery in his county by a Chilean immigrant.
Orange County District Attorney’s Office release Friday’s statement referred to two Chilean nationals, Jorge Navarrete-Corbalán, 32, and Alejandro Tobal-Fuentes, 32, who were arrested in the San Juan Capistrano area and “accused of breaking into a home, then driving the wrong way down the highway while being pursued by police, causing a head-on collision.” The two had been allowed into the U.S. on the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTAS) visa waiver. (Related article: Illegal immigrant arrested for raping and murdering mother of five)
“Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has the authority to immediately and unilaterally suspend Chile from the ESTA Visa Waiver Program until Chile meets its criminal background check requirements for its nationals,” Spitzer said in a press release.
“Instead of holding Chile accountable and blocking the direct route organized crime uses to inject thieves into the United States, Secretary Mayorkas’ inaction has resulted in Americans continuing to be threatened by criminals waiting for the perfect moment to sneak into their homes, smash their backsliders and steal their most prized possessions. With every broken glass, they shatter another family’s sense of security, and they put everyone on the road at risk as they do whatever it takes to escape law enforcement. This must stop, and it must stop today.”
Tourists and locals sit along the beach looking at hillside condominiums in San Clemente, California on January 2, 2015. (Photo by Robert Nickelsburg/Getty Images)
According to a press release, both Chilean nationals were arrested on June 8 after they crashed their Mini Cooper into a Toyota Camry and attempted a hit-and-run after an Orange County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over their vehicle. Authorities said Navarrete-Corbalan and Tobalfuentes entered the U.S. using the $21 ESTAS Visa Waiver Program, which allows applicants “unlimited entry into the United States for up to 90 days at a time for a two-year period” within 72 hours of applying.
In California, the problem of home invasions by immigrants has plagued the state since last year, with officials warning residents in March about the trend. according to To Fox LA. According to a press release, the U.S. has allowed 350,000 Chilean nationals into the country through the program in 2022, despite Chile’s refusal to conduct background checks on ESTAS visa users.
Of the 41 countries that have approved the ESTAS visa, Chile is the only Latin American country on the list, allowing hardened criminals to cross the border.Following a sharp rise in reports of robberies to authorities, Spitzer filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration for failing to comply with requests for immigration documentation, Fox LA reported.
