Midwest
Michigan county plagued by 'burglary tourism' as foreign crime gangs abuse US visa waiver program
A Michigan sheriff is sounding the alarm on “burglary tourism” — a recent trend where international organized crime groups enter the U.S. to skillfully rob wealthy suburban homes.
“We believe that there has to be some kind of training camp because they come so well-trained, so equipped, and so knowledgeable about how to move and how to attack a home,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard on Wednesday told “FOX & Friends.”
“They do a lot of pre-op surveillance. They determine as best they can when someone won’t be in a home. They go very quickly to the home, they break a window. They go through it, not opening a door or window. They have an electronic jammer.”
‘RAM RAIDING’ AND ‘CRASH AND GRAB’ NEW VIOLENT BURGLARY TREND TARGETING BRICK-AND-MORTAR BUSINESSES
Bouchard said the gangs, mostly from Chile, are then able to quickly target home safes and small high-end items.
“They’re very focused on high-end jewelry, like watches, cash, high-end purses… things that are highly, valuable and disposable. And out they go and they move on. They usually hit a number of homes in our area, and then they move on to another part of the country, and then another crew will come in. And it’s been a cycle,” he said.
Bouchard urged the State Department to reevaluate Chile’s participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows tourists and business travelers to enter America for 90 days or less without having to obtain a visa or go through a thorough vetting process.
“All we’re asking is that the federal government either pause or discontinue Chile from that program. Now, that doesn’t mean they can’t come and visit from Chile. They just have to get a traditional visa with a higher level of scrutiny and background than what happens currently with the BWP,” he said, adding that Colombians entering the U.S. through the southern border are also contributing to the crimes.
Surveillance video shows thieves climbing an upstairs balcony and breaking into a California home through a sliding door. (Orange County District Attorney’s Office)
Similar crimes have been reported in California, New Jersey and New York.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has been warning about the issue since last summer, calling the Southern California burglaries “carefully calculated and planned.”
Spitzer filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration for failing to respond to public records requests involving documentation on the issue. He has also called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to use his powers to strike Chile from the program.
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The South American nation, which the State Department describes as a regional leader for the rule of law and economic stability, is the only Latin American country on the 41-country list.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A 28-year-old man from Detroit has been arrested for the murder of two people in Tennessee.
Troy Hutchinson and Rodrell Jeter were shot and killed Nov. 16, 2025, outside Nashville, Tennessee. A third man was hospitalized with critical injuries.
Police believe four men were traveling from Detroit to Atlanta in a Ford Bronco when the fourth man opened fire on the victims before leaving in the vehicle. The Bronco was found abandoned in Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati in Ohio.
Jeter and the man who was hospitalized were both from Detroit, while Hutchinson is from Atlanta.
A motive for the shooting remains unknown.
In late November, police identified the suspect as Dashonn Moten. He was indicted on 17 counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and two counts of felony murder.
After nearly two months, Moten was arrested Friday, Jan. 10, in Sterling Heights and is awaiting extradition to Tennessee for his arraignment.
If convicted, Moten faces possible execution.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
See the aftermath of high-speed reckless driving in Milwaukee
Journalist James Causey and his wife narrowly escaped a high-speed chase and accident when an SUV ran past them and through an intersection, colliding with a Mercedes.
Milwaukee County will receive nearly $25 million in federal funding for 67 traffic safety projects along 10 of the county’s most hazardous roadways, according to a Jan. 12 announcement from County Executive David Crowley’s office.
That funding will support upgrades for pedestrian infrastructure, intersections and high-speed corridors in Milwaukee, West Allis, Glendale, Brown Deer, Shorewood and on multiple county highways.
Collectively, these projects could reduce fatal and serious injury crashes in hazardous areas by 26%–50% and save an estimated $1.2 billion in car crash costs over 20 years, according to the announcement.
Preliminary designs are anticipated to begin in 2027, with all projects completed by 2031.
The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant, which the county’s Department of Transportation applied for in 2025 as part of its Complete Communities Transportation Planning Project, an initiative to increase safety and reduce reckless driving across its roadways.
Already, the county has analyzed crash data, identified 25 “Corridors of Concern,” and reviewed potential project opportunities.
Milwaukee County’s award amounts to the third-largest grant in the federal program’s 2025 funding cycle. It will be managed by the county and distributed to the five municipal recipients.
The municipalities will lead the projects and provide a 20% local match to support costs.
More details about the projects’ locations will be posted on the transportation department’s website, according to the announcement.
The 65 infrastructure projects and two studies enabled by the grant aim to improve safety along 10 hazardous roadways the county has identified.
Pedestrian infrastructure upgrades will include high-visibility crosswalks, upgraded pedestrian walk signals, restricting right-turn-on-red options, and sidewalk network expansion.
Intersection upgrades will include traffic signal upgrades, better visibility for pedestrians, bump-outs, and select geometric realignments. High-speed corridor upgrades will entail traffic calming improvements that help drivers stay in their lanes.
One of the projects will also seek to reduce reckless driving on the 16th Street viaduct, the 27th Street viaduct and the 35th Street viaduct.
The grant will also fund a safety analysis study on West Lincoln Avenue between South 124th Street and South 52nd Street, which will issue recommendations for future projects. The grant will also fund a county Department of Transportation report assessing the county’s progress toward the Vision Zero goal.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
Thousands of people protested in Minneapolis, Minnesota over the weekend to decry the fatal shooting of 37‑year‑old Renee Good by a US immigration agent, one of more than 1,000 rallies planned nationwide against the federal government’s deportation drive. Demonstrators marched towards the residential street where Good was shot in her car and mourned at a makeshift memorial
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