Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy is warning of the growth of “burglary tourism” as law enforcement tracks gangs of South Americans who fly into the country to commit home invasions, then fly back home with the loot.
The Texan is urging the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to remove Chile from the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), a program that allows citizens of that country easier entry into the U.S.A. Roy says that Chilean organized crime groups are taking advantage of the program to send criminals into our country on quick, short-term trips.
Roy recently posted a message to his X account warning that “American communities have experienced an outbreak of ‘burglary tourism,’ in which Chilean organized crime rings have been able to exploit the VWP loopholes by entering the U.S. without a visa or any proper criminal background check.”
BREAKING: American communities have experienced an outbreak of “burglary tourism,” in which Chilean organized crime rings have been able to exploit the VWP loopholes by entering the U.S. without a visa or any proper criminal background check https://t.co/pms1sNllUf
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) January 29, 2025
Roy’s letter notes that Chile has refused to effectively vet its citizens who fly out of Chile and into the U.S. via the VWP loophole, according to the Daily Caller.
“One of the many requirements for a country to be designated a VWP participant is to enter into an Agreement on Enhancing Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Serious Crime (PCSC) with the U.S. to screen out VWP applicants with criminal backgrounds during the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ETSA) process,” states Roy’s letter, which is co-signed by ten other members of Congress.
“Chile refuses to provide U.S. authorities the required background information on its nationals seeking VWP entry into the U.S. despite entering into a PCSC agreement with the U.S. in 2013,” the congressmen say.
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With 350,000 Chilean nationals flying into the U.S. in 2022 alone, the need to vet them is crucial, Roy and his co-signers insist.
“These Chilean crime syndicates have recruited and trained individuals to form burglary teams,” the letter reads. “Through these teams, the Chilean nationals develop surveillance teams and use sophisticated technology like Wi-Fi and cell phone jammers and electronic trackers to conduct their burglary operations.”
The issue Roy is concerned about was recently highlighted by the National Football League (NFL), which sent out a memo to players to be aware of migrant robbery gangs targeting the homes of professional athletes who are often away from home for extended and well-publicized periods of time.
The NFL’s warning came about a month after two Kansas City Chiefs stars — Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce — were the victims of home invasions only hours apart on the same evening in October.
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