Simon Hankinson
President Trump can’t solve every problem America faces. But the recent arrests of two crooks in New York City highlight two problems he can solve: loose visa-waiver standards and obstacles to removing criminal aliens.
On Feb. 4, FBI agents arrested Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar, who ran a pawn shop that, according to authorities, fenced luxury goods stolen by Chilean professional burglars who entered the U.S. via the Visa Waiver Program.
Mr. Nezhinskiy, a Georgian national living in New Jersey, is believed to be linked to the December 2024 robbery of NFL quarterback Joe Burrow’s home in Ohio. In January, four Chilean nationals were arrested as suspects in that case.
Mr. Nezhinskiy and Mr. Villar also have ties to Bryan Leandro Herrera Maldonado, a Chilean who was reportedly responsible for a string of home burglaries across the country in 2019 and 2020.
A different South American crime ring (also likely Chilean) was responsible for the simultaneous burglaries of Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce last October.
Sanctuary Cities Pose an Unacceptable Risk to Public Safety
So how did all these Chilean professional burglars succeed in entering the U.S.? The answer is simple: through the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
The VWP was created in 1986 to allow travelers from low-risk countries to visit the U.S. for 90 days or less without a visa – simply after filling out an online form. Currently, 40 countries are members of the program, but Chile (admitted in 2014) is the only one from Latin America.
To gain admission to the program, Chile had to sign formal agreements promising that it would share its criminal records promptly with the U.S. But over the past few years, U.S. officials have become concerned that Chile isn’t keeping its promises.
In June 2023, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called for DHS to suspend Chile from the VWP. » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/border-security/commentary/new-york-arrests-highlight-two-immigration-problems-trump-can-solve