On Friday, a Florida sheriff announced that 45 people were arrested for looting in areas impacted by two recent hurricanes, with 41 of those arrested identified as illegal immigrants.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, whose jurisdiction includes Clearwater and St. Petersburg, reported that deputies have been conducting anti-looting patrols in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which struck the area in late September and early October. These patrols have focused on protecting vacant properties vulnerable to looting.
41 of the 45 people who have been arrested for looting in the county are not legal citizens of the country, according to a report by Newsweek. The individuals detained face various charges, including armed robbery, vandalism, and trespassing. Additionally, another 200 people were ordered to leave due to insufficient probable cause for arrest.
“A lot of these people were in the area to take other people’s property, and our deputies’ efforts prevented additional crimes from occurring,” Sheriff Gualtieri said in a press release. The sheriff detailed that the 41 illegal immigrants arrested came from countries including Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Honduras, and Venezuela.
“These people are simply scammers and thieves and no different than the people in the neighborhoods at 3 am breaking into a house that we have been arresting,” he added.
Gualtieri noted that residents who had already been affected by the hurricanes were now being “double victimized” by the looters.
“Don’t come to Pinellas County and steal in these storm-ravaged communities,” Gualtieri warned. “Don’t prey on people who are trying to recover, because if you do, you’re going to go to jail on multiple felony charges.”
The arrests in Florida follow a similar situation in Tennessee, where immigrants who were in the country on work visas were arrested for suspected looting.
