The Chicago suburb of Oak Brook has been beset with an increase in retail theft and burglaries over the last year, and police say the leading culprits have been recently arrived illegal border crossers who have filtered out to the suburb from Chicago.
The Oak Brook Police Department reports that 47 recently arrived illegal aliens have been arrested in connection with retail thefts and home and car burglaries just since October and more than 175 since last year, according to Newsbreak.
Officials of the suburb — which is only about 25 minutes west of downtown Chicago and only minutes south of O’Hare International Airport where hundreds of illegals have been sheltering for months — noted that the thieves often use bags lined with sheets of tinfoil in an attempt to thwart store anti-theft protection devices at entrances, the New York Post reported.
The issue has been ongoing in the suburb, especially inside the Oak Brook shopping mall.
As far back as 2021 the Oak Brook Police Department reported a gang of about 14 individuals entering stores and stealing all they could carry.
But the thefts really kicked into high gear in 2023.
In October, for instance, two newly arrived illegal aliens were arrested after allegedly shoplifting nearly $2,000 worth of clothes from the Oak Brook Macy’s store.
Migrants accused in Oak Brook Macy’s theft released on electronic monitoring https://t.co/M4cjuUaWTB
— FOX 32 News (@fox32news) October 24, 2023
The pair were identified as Venezuelan illegal aliens Abel Barrios-Estava, 20 years old, and Rafael Mata-Torres, 25. Barrios-Estava allegedly stole six pieces of clothing worth over $300. And Mata-Torres was accused of stealing 13 pieces of clothing worth more than $1,400.
Weeks later, in early November, Luis Mendez-Gomez, 28 years old, and Frank Montez-Davila, 23, were arrested for allegedly stealing more than $2,800 worth of merchandise from the same Oak Brook Macy’s.
Officers reported finding the stolen goods in backpacks the pair were carrying.
Also in November, DuPage County officials warned of a five-man group made up of illegal immigrants from Venezuela who were arrested for dash-and-grab robberies in a Kohl’s store as well as the Oak Brook Macy’s, State’s Attorney Bob Berlin reported.
A month later, two more Venezuelan migrants who were sheltering in Chicago were allegedly caught stealing hundreds of dollars in merchandise from the Macy’s.
More Venezuelan migrants residing in Chicago caught stealing from suburban Macy’s store, authorities say https://t.co/NSKYPLLR5x
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 3, 2023
Edys Alberto Herrera-Gotopo, 20, and Johan Gavidia-Rojas, 18, were arrested shortly after entering the Oak Brook Macy’s at 7 p.m. on a Friday and allegedly grabbing items of clothing as they ran for the exits.
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