A Florida sheriff said Friday that 41 out of 45 people arrested for looting after two hurricanes left his communities devasted were illegal immigrants.
Pinellas County, which covers Clearwater and St. Petersburg on Florida’s west coast, was struck by Helene and Milton at the end of September and beginning of October, with many homes and businesses left devastated.
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said his team spent the past few weeks conducting looting patrols on the barrier islands that run along the edge of the peninsula, finding dozens of people trying to take advantage of empty streets and properties.
Deputies arrested 45 people for a variety of crimes, including armed robbery, vandalism and trespassing, while nearly 200 others were told to leave when no probable cause for arrest could be found.
Out of the 196 approached, 141 were not from the county, while 163 were not U.S. citizens. Their immigration statuses were not immediately clear.
“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 at a press conference.
Debris and damage from Hurricane Milton as US President Joe Biden visits the area, in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on October 13, 2024. The death toll from Milton rose to at least 16, officials in Florida said October 11, and millions were still without power as residents began the painful process of piecing their lives back together.
BONNIE CASH/AFP via Getty Images
The 41 illegal immigrants were from Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Honduras, Venezuela and other countries, he said.
In the aftermath of the storms, the sheriff said work was underway to rebuild, but residents and business owners were at risk of being exploited by fake or unlicensed contractors.
Gualtieri said this was common after a storm, with people soliciting for work they either never complete or is so bad it needs to be redone as it is not to code.
“These people are simply scammers and thieves and no different than the people in the neighborhoods at 3 a.m. breaking into a house that we have been arresting,” the sheriff said, adding that victims were “double victimized” after losing so much already.
Undercover detectives worked to root out those trying to carry out plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, roofing and structural work without a license and arrested nearly 60 more people on 102 charges between them.
The sheriff said his team would continue its work to protect residents as the community continues to rebuild.
“Don’t come to Pinellas County and steal in these storm-ravaged communities, 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,” he added.
Debris and damage from Hurricane Milton as US President Joe Biden visits the area, in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on October 13, 2024. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said dozens had been arrested for looting in the weeks since the storm hit.
BONNIE CASH/AFP via Getty Images
Newsweek reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for further comment on the immigration status of those arrested Monday morning via email.
The situation in Pinellas County comes after immigrants, who were in the U.S. legally on work visas, were arrested for suspected looting in Tennessee. Initial claims that the group of eight men were “getaways” from the southwest border were later denied by immigration officials.
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