Oakland County Sheriff Bouchard
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard says he plans to push for President-elect Donald Trump's administration to help battle the problem of South American burglarly gangs who are robbing upscale homes in his county.
Bouchard, who is vice president of the Major County Sheriffs of America, said he plans to ask the administration to close the Visa Waiver Program, something he says the Biden administration declined to do, George Hunter of the Detroit News reports.
The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens from certain nations to travel to the U.S. without a visa for up to 90 days.
Police say the program is abused by the burglary gang members who stay beyond the 90 days, using fake identification cards that are provided by colleagues who are already in the United States, the News reports.
"The waiver program can be changed with the stroke of a pen," Bouchard said, according to the News. "Changing the program wouldn't eliminate visitors from Chile — they can still come through the traditional visa program — but that comes with a higher level of security than the visa waiver program does.
"When you've got 100% of the people we've caught for high-end burglaries with the same MO ... in our business, we call that a clue," Bouchard said. "We want people to visit our country through traditional visas, but the fact is, some people are using this waiver program to come here and commit crimes."
