LOS ANGELES – Foreign born thieves who have entered the United States through a visa waiver program have created so much havoc in Los Angeles that LAPD has created a special task force to combat organized foreign gangs.
LAPD has discovered that many tourist burglars who’ve been arrested frequently entered the U.S. through a visa waiver program. Of these criminal defendants, many were visiting from Chile and other South American countries, the Daily Wire reported.
“I can tell you that we have a significant increase in burglaries from organized groups that are outside this country, that are coming into this country and they are targeting high-end residents. We are addressing that specifically in a task-force fashion through multi-agencies,” LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said on March 12.
Crime victims have reported more than 900 residential burglaries across the city since January, according to LAPD. Some of these intrusions have been committed by the tourist burglars, who may be using new technology to circumvent home security systems.
LAPD’s Wilshire Division alerted the public via social media on March 4 regarding the crime trend.
“Wilshire area has been subjected to various residential burglaries, involving 3-4 suspects using Wi-Fi jammers as they enter victims’ residences. The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking your help to deter such burglaries.”
Wilshire area has been subjected to various residential burglaries, involving 3-4 suspects using Wi-Fi jammers as they enter victims’ residences. The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking your help to deter such burglaries. #lapd #lapdwilshire @LAPDRodriguez pic.twitter.com/XXYMnb0ImJ
— LAPD Wilshire (@LAPDWilshire) March 4, 2024
“Some sort of device by burglars that actually deaden, kill or stop WiFi from operating,” Police Commissioner William Briggs explained.
“The immediate fix for these home-alarm systems is to hardwire them, where you plug these systems directly into your ethernet in the wall and not use your WiFi internally,” Choi said.
BREAKING: The LAPD forms a special task force to combat organized foreign gangs burglarizing homes
The organized gangs are coming from Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Chile, etc
OVER NINE HUNDRED HOMES in LA were burglarized since January 2024
Similar patterns are emerging in… pic.twitter.com/FyzwWP0qP8
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 18, 2024
In 2022, neighboring Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer started a vertical prosecution unit called H.E.I.S.T (Home Invasion. Eradication. Interdiction. Strike. Team.) to prosecute burglary cases, the Daily Wire reported.
“Defendants from Chile have posed a uniquely frustrating challenge because the Chilean government has refused to provide us with the criminal history of Chilean citizens utilizing the ESTA VISA Program to enter the United States,” the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in May 2023. “ESTA –Electronic System for Travel Authorization – requires criminal histories be provided before residents can enter the United States for 90 days at a time – unlimited times. Without criminal histories, prosecutors have been largely handcuffed in trying to prove why these defendants pose a greater public safety risk beyond a single burglary charge.”
