Wednesday 5 October 2022 02:51 AM Ron DeSantis tears into 'illegal alien' looters who should not be in the US 'at ... trends now
The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis has revealed how three of the four looting suspects that were arrested in Lee County were in the United States illegally.
The Republican Governor made the revelation during a news conference in Fort Myers on Tuesday as he gave an update about the response to Hurricane Ian.
DeSantis focused on 'law and order' in Southwest Florida and drew a connection between that at his opposition to President Joe Biden's immigration policies.
'These are people that are foreigners, they're illegally in our country, but not only that, they try to loot and ransack in the aftermath of a natural disaster,' DeSantis explained.
Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis revealed how three of the looters were illegal immigrants 'who should not be in the US at all'
'These are people that are foreigners, they're illegally in our country, but not only that, they try to loot and ransack in the aftermath of a natural disaster,' he said
A no trespassing sign warning looters is seen outside a shop after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Lucas Gordon spray paints a sign that reads,' You loot we shoot', in front of his home. Gordon said they were afraid looters might try to take advantage of them
A warning to looters is spray painted on the side of a car on Pine Island, Florida
'They should be prosecuted, but they need to be sent back to their home country. They should not be here at all.'
The four men were arrested on charges of burglary of an unoccupied structure during a state of emergency, according to online jail records.
The individuals, aged between 20 and 33, were booked for ransacking devastated homes and businesses on Fort Myers Beach while they suffered in the wake of the raging torrent.
All four looters were arrested on September 29 - but documents reveal that they were released after posting $35,000 bonds each.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno held a press conference Tuesday in which he addressed the spike in looting and illegal scavenging in the aftermath of the historic hurricane
'As far as looting — we have law and order in Lee County. We have law and order in our great state of Florida, and we always will,' said Marceno. 'Right now, we have four cases of looting.'
Brandon Mauricio Araya and Steve Eduardo Sanchez Araya, both 20, were arrested for looting and grand theft during a state of emergency. They are both registered as living in Cape Coral
Omar Mejia Ortiz and Valerie Celeste Salcedo Mena were both booked in Lee County
The looters were found with several bottles on liquor on them
Officers take down the details of the suspected looters who were later out on $35,000 bond
The oldest looting suspect is Omar Mejia Ortiz, 33. He lives in Immokalee - meaning he traveled at least 50 miles to Fort Myers beach to ransack the ruinous shops and homes after Hurricane Ian's wrath, reports Florida Jolt.
Valerie Celeste Salcedo Mena, 26, made her way from her home in Cape Coral, which is at least a 40 minute drive to the Florida coastline.
The youngest two suspects who were arrested for looting seem to be related - Brandon Mauricio Araya and Steve Eduardo Sanchez Araya.
The young men, both aged 20, traveled from the same address in Cape Coral before finding themselves booked in Lee County.
All four suspects were booked for the same crime: Burglary to an unoccupied structure during a state of emergency and all will face a hearing on October 31 at Lee County's Circuit Court.
Lee County currently has a curfew and a 'zero-tolerance' policy against looting.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waves following a press conference to update information about the on ongoing efforts to help people after hurricane Ian passed through the area
DeSantis has taken a hard line against looters since Ian struck the Sunshine State and told of a sign he saw in the city of Punta Gorda.
'They boarded up all the businesses, and there are people that wrote on their plywood, 'you loot, we shoot,' DeSantis said.
'At the end of the day, we are not going to allow lawlessness to take advantage of this situation. We are a law-and-order state, and this is a law-and-order community, so do not think that you're going to go take advantage of people who've suffered misfortune.'
DeSantis has taken a similarly hard line when it comes to immigration and last month was instrumental in sending 48 Venezuelan migrants on flights from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Destruction left behind in the wake of Hurricane Ian is shown on Tuesday in Fort Myers Beach
Southwest Florida suffered severe damage during the Category 4 hurricane which caused extensive damage to communities along the state's coast
Members of the Virginia Task Force 2 Urban Search and Rescue team comb through the wreckage on Fort Myers Beach looking for victims of Hurricane Ian
A search dog helps members of Virginia Task Force 2 Urban Search and Rescue comb through the wreckage on Fort Myers Beach looking for victims of Hurricane Ian on Tuesday
