The Liberals Are Being Targeted “Criminal Tourists” Target Liberals Wealthy American Neighborhood, Those Pesky Relaxed Criminal Justice Laws

HNewsWire-On January 1st, Alvin Bragg assumed the office of Manhattan district attorney. One of the new class of “progressive prosecutors” – criminal justice reformers who aim to reduce the number of people in prison – Mr. Bragg launched a spate of policy changes. Offenses like burglary and possession of certain weapons would be downgraded; other crimes like prostitution and resisting arrest would no longer be prosecuted at all. Weeks later, New York City witnessed a sudden surge in violent crime. Two police officers were killed on the job. Mr. Bragg had to announce a U-turn.

America has seen an explosion in violence since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The national murder rate increased by 29% between 2019 and 2020 – the largest single-year jump since 1905. That wiped out 20 years of progress on homicide. Data for violence in 2021 are still being collected, but the preliminary evidence suggests that homicide continued to rise, albeit at a less sharp rate. Among 22 large cities that have already reported, murders rose by 4% between 2020 and 2021.

As Americans try to make sense of it, some have blamed progressive policies and reformers like M. Bragg. These days Republicans are criticizing President Joe Biden for being soft on crime. They also see electoral rewards in attacking Democratic rhetoric to “defund the police” – as attempted unsuccessfully, in liberal cities like Austin and Los Angeles. But new evidence suggests that the actual blame may not lie with urban progressives.

New evidence, according to the Daily Mail, shows South American criminal tourists are rifling through posh American communities on home invasion rampages.

Traveling from South America, these criminals target multi-million dollar mansions in liberal-controlled regions with lenient criminal justice laws, using the US's immigration system for travel.

According to police around the nation, some of the criminal tourists come from Colombia and other South American countries. They've broken into homes in California, New York, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, among other places.

A 2014 visa waiver program aimed at promoting tourism is being used by these professional thieves, according to law enforcement authorities. Automated software assesses if visitors need a visa in order to enter the country. It is known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

The FBI nabbed a group in Virginia earlier this year that stole an estimated $2 million worth of items from homes owned by Asian and Middle Eastern families earlier this year. A large amount of high-value jewels and cash were stolen from those residences, according to authorities.

Because of Virginia's lenient bail regulations, the criminals were able to flee the nation with the stolen goods. A $1.2 million jewelry theft in Southern California was also linked to the thefts in the Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, and the South.

Criminal vacationers from Chile who broke into multi-million dollar houses and stole jewelry and cash were apprehended in Nassau County, New York.

Hillsborough, a San Francisco suburb where the average property value is $5.4 million, was the target of criminal tourists from Chile and Colombia. One of the robberies was recorded on video as the crooks ransacked a residence.

There is a "sweet spot" for professional thieves from outside the United States who are able to take advantage of a travel program and flexible criminal justice regulations that allow them to simply depart the country if caught.