Following the destruction of hurricanes Helene and Milton, police in one Florida country reported that nearly all of those they arrested for looting in the aftermath were illegal aliens. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office announced that 41 of the 45 people arrested for various looting offenses, including armed robbery, burglary, and vandalism, were all living in the state illegally.
The Sherriff’s Office added that police had questioned a total of 196 people but later released them, noting that 163 were illegals.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri commented on the arrests, saying, “A lot of these people were in the area to take others’ properties, and our efforts prevented additional crimes from occurring.”
Destruction across several states led to the deaths of at least 230 people from Hurricane Helene and a further 32 people from Hurricane Milton. Both hurricanes are also estimated to have cost billions of dollars in damages.
Before Hurricane Milton’s landfall, President Donald J. Trump opened the Trump National Doral Miami resort to host around 275 linemen who were vital in restoring power to the state. However, the Biden-Harris Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been heavily criticized for its response.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) both say that FEMA prevented aid from reaching hurricane victims following Hurricane Helene. Musk, who helped distribute Starlink satellite Internet after the disaster, claimed that FEMA had obstructed and stopped its distribution.
FEMA admitted to temporarily suspending aid distribution in North Carolina, claiming federal aid workers felt threatened by locals.