Eight men have been arrested in Tennessee for taking advantage of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and looting abandoned homes.
The men were arrested in the 107 area of Washington County and are each being held on a $20,000 bond for charges of burglary or aggravated burglary.
Jesus Leodan Garcia-Peneda, Josue Berardo Ortis-Valdez, Ersy Leonel Ortis-Valdez, Albin Nahun Vega-Rapalo, David Bairon Rapalo-Rapalo, Kevin Noe Martinez-Lopez and Marvin Hernandez-Martinez.
At present the nationality and criminal histories of the men arrested are unclear, but it’s likely some or all of them are recent immigrants to the US with pre-existing rap sheets.
Since 2021, 13,000 murderers, 15,000 rapists and 425,000 convicted criminals have been allowed into America by the Biden-Harris administration. These migrants were apprehended at the border and then deliberately released into the US, pending a future court date.
These numbers only represent migrants who were apprehended then released. According to Fox’s Bill Melugin, nearly two million “got-aways”—migrants who evaded apprehension by Border Patrol—have crossed the border since 2021.
The appearance of looters exploiting the apocalyptic damage caused by Hurricane Helene is not surprising. There were high-profile reports of looting, and “vigilante” justice, during Hurricane Katrina, in 2005.
The scale of the natural damage is enormous. As of Sunday afternoon, 2.4 million people were without power. Nearly 100 people have been reported dead and thousands have been displaced or rescued from the floodwaters, across five states—Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
The Category 4 hurricane made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on Thursday night, with winds reaching over 140 mph. Florida governor Ron DeSantis spoke of “complete obliteration” in the parts of his state the hurricane passed through. It’s reported that 90% of communities like Keaton Beach, which was still struggling to recover from last year’s Hurricane Idalia, have been washed away by flooding.
The Carolinas have borne the brunt of the hurricane’s fury. In North Carolina, Yancey County saw 29.5 inches of rainfall. In Buncombe County, more than 1,000 people still remain unaccounted for. 24 people have already been confirmed dead in South Carolina, the highest total of any state so far.
Accuweather is estimating the damage caused by the hurricane to be upwards of $110 billion, making it one of the most expensive in US history. For comparison, Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Harvey (2017) each caused around $125 billion of damages.
400 Children a Day Trafficked Across US Southern Border