In a disturbing development, a wave of Romanian immigrants entering the U.S. illegally is suspected of crimes stretching from Florida to Pennsylvania and New York. As reported by the Daily Caller, this growing concern brings to light glaring weaknesses in our border security and immigration policy, especially given that many of these immigrants are alleged to have criminal histories.
The Border Patrol noted the surge of illegal immigrants, including thousands of Romanians, crossing our southern and northern borders. The numbers are revealing: in fiscal year 2022, encounters with Romanian immigrants at the southern border escalated to 5,895, up from 4,029 in 2021 and a mere 266 in 2020, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
The Roma are at it again. #ThanksBiden
Romanians Who Entered The US Illegally Are Suspected Of Committing Crimes Across The Country https://t.co/ZSg5ChZj2H
— Mike 🇺🇸 (@MikeyDog) June 5, 2023
Regrettably, our overburdened immigration system has become a point of manipulation. “They all claim asylum/credible fear, just like everyone else. Hoping that we’ll process them and release them to the NGOs,” a Border Patrol official stated. This tactic allows illegal immigrants to exploit our compassion and gain a foothold in our society.
Adding to the complexity, these individuals are adept at evading detection. “Romanians are involved in a lot of fraud. To avoid detection, they tend to give temporary addresses and/or just quit reporting,” revealed an ICE official based on the west coast. In their deception, these illegal immigrants often furnish hotels or other temporary housing addresses, making it nearly impossible to track them down.
Their criminal activities appear to be wide-ranging. For instance, two suspects illegally entered from Romania. They were later found engaging in questionable financial transactions involving gold coins in Florida. Another incident saw two Romanian nationals possessing fraudulent passports, credit cards, covert cameras, and skimming devices, with thousands of victims’ bank information allegedly seized from their vehicles.
There is also a disturbing trend of crimes in Pennsylvania involving ATM skimming devices in Walmart self-checkouts. And many of these culprits are found to have “INTERPOL [International Criminal Police Organization] hits,” pointing to their involvement in criminal activities abroad.
The increase in crime echoes a broader concern: the Romanian government struggles with combating human trafficking within its borders. The U.S. State Department’s 2022 report suggests that Romania does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking but is making efforts to do so. The report highlights that alleged complicity in trafficking crimes persists, particularly with officials exploiting children in the care of government-run homes or placement centers. This raises additional worries about individuals entering our country illegally.
In the face of this unfolding situation, we must strengthen our border security and immigration policy. We must balance showing compassion for those genuinely seeking asylum and protecting our citizens from those who wish to exploit our generosity for nefarious purposes. At the same time, we must press countries like Romania to address the issues that may contribute to this situation.
