Thieving tourists traveling from South America to rob mansions in Los Angeles

Many come to Los Angeles with the dream of trying their luck in Hollywood and appearing on the big screen.but in recent years more and more thieves have flown from South America to the second most populated city in the United States to end up with their faces plastered on newscasts, mugshots and security cameras.

'Robbery tourism', named by the authorities, is a type of theft that has hit the Californian city for five years, but has worsened in recent months. South American foreigners take jewelry, luxury items and money from mansions in counties such as Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Diego.

Two weeks ago, the search with helicopters and drones for the member of an international network that had looted homes in the wealthy area of ​​Pacific Palisades was reported. The subject was arrested in Arizona, hiding under a tree. He was a 17-year-old Chilean. He and his three accomplices of the same nationality are suspected of robbing homes throughout East Hollywood. They arrived in the United States months ago with a tourist visa.

According to Los Angeles police, foreign thieves are behind hundreds of robberies. For this reason, it has announced the creation of an exclusive working group to stop this wave. “We have a significant increase in robberies by organized groups that are entering the country and targeting high-level residents,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi.

The authorities have detailed that The most common members of these criminal groups are Chileans benefiting from a visa exemption programbut there are also Peruvians, Ecuadorians and Colombians among those involved.

Advanced technology

One of the main characteristics of this type of robbery is that thieves usually do not use weapons to avoid charges linked to their possession. Their tools are, rather, sophisticated.

They carry Wi-Fi jamming devices to disable surveillance cameras and security systems. The homes they burglarize are often connected to open spaces, hills, hiking trails, or other paths that allow easy access.

In many cases they are places where celebrities such as Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks, Bradley Cooper and Anthony Hopkins have or have had their homes.

“They don't worry about house alarms, they go to mansions that are on hills and do a quick inspection. They take jewelry and objects that they can exchange on the black market, with false identification they open bank accounts in the US and transfer the money to their country of origin. This is how they operate,” Octavio Pescador, a professor at the University of California in Los Angeles and a CNN commentator, tells El Comercio.

Migration in the spotlight

The problem has put into debate the scope of entry permits into the country. The Los Angeles Times explains that Chilean citizens who use a visa program called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, can enter the United States for periods of 90 days an unlimited number of times. without the need for a visa and without the need for background checks.

“Visa requirements vary between countries, but travelers from other South American nations generally require visas with stricter restrictions before entering the US,” the outlet notes.

In Orange County, District Attorney Todd Spitzer has demanded new laws to prevent criminals from entering as tourists and sued the federal government for failing to disclose its negotiations with Chile over visa requirements for travelers.

The most worrying consequences of these thefts is that they can become a political argument now that migration is at the center of the presidential election.

For Pescador, one of the most worrying consequences of these thefts is that they can become a political argument now that migration is at the center of the presidential election.

“All this can be translated into a legislative initiative or a campaign promise to end this type of visa for certain countries. Now there is a systematic campaign so that everything that is migration or immigrant is seen as unwanted and a detriment to society, as Donald Trump defends. And it has been so effective that Joe Biden and the Democrats have pulled towards the center on this issue, that is, the allies of migrants have hardened their position,” he points out.

El Comercio (Peru)/GDA