Republican Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer ripped Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ “inaction” on visa vetting following one of the county’s most recent burglaries by Chilean migrants.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office released a statement Friday addressing two Chilean nationals identified as Jorge Navarretecorvalan, 32, and Alejandro Tobarfuentes, 32 who were arrested in the San Juan Capistrano area and “charged in connection with a head-on collision while driving the wrong way on the freeway while being pursued by law enforcement after burglarizing” a home. The two men had notably been allowed into the U.S. on an Electronic System for Travel Authorization System (ESTAS) visa waiver from the Department of Homeland Security. (RELATED: Illegal Immigrant Arrested For Rape And Murder Of Mother Of Five)
“Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has the power to immediately and unilaterally suspend Chile from the ESTA visa waiver program until it complies with the requirement to provide criminal background checks for their citizens,” Spitzer said in the press release.
“Instead of holding Chile accountable and preventing a direct pipeline for organized crime to shuttle thieves into the United States, Secretary Mayorkas’ inaction is resulting in Americans continuing to be terrorized by criminals who are stalking them in their homes and waiting for the perfect moment to break their back sliders and steal their most prized possessions. With every pane of shattered glass, they are shattering another family’s sense of security and they are putting everyone on the road at risk as they will do anything and everything to escape from law enforcement. This has to stop – and it has to stop today.”
Tourists and local residents sit along the beach with a view of hillside condominiums January 2, 2015 in San Clemente, California. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
Both Chilean nationals were arrested June 8 after they crashed their Mini Cooper into a Toyota Camry while attempting to miss hitting an “Orange County Sheriff’s deputy who had tried to pull their vehicle over,” the press release stated. Officials stated that Navarretecorvalan and Tobarfuentes entered the U.S. through the $21 ESTAS Visa Waiver Program, allowing applicants “unlimited access to the United States, up to 90 days at a time, for a two-year period” within 72 hours of submitting the application.
The issue of migrants breaking into homes in California has plagued the state in the last year, as authorities in March warned residents about the trend of home invasions, according to Fox LA. Despite Chile refusing to provide background checks on ESTAS visa users, the U.S. in 2022 allowed 350,000 Chilean nationals to enter the country through the program, according to the press release.
While there are 41 states approved for ESTAS visas, Chile is the only Latin American country to make the list, allowing career criminals to make their way over the border. As authorities have had upticks in reports of burglaries, Spitzer reportedly filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over failing to respond to requests for documentation on the migrants, according to Fox LA.
