The shocking theft of Homeland Security Krisi Noem's purse is shining a light on the open border policies of the Biden administration - and its residual effects in Democratic "sanctuary" jurisdictions that continue to obstruct immigration enforcement.
Just a few weeks before targeting Noem, Chilean man Mario Bustamante-Leiva was busted in New York for a similar theft - but he was let go because of the city's "sanctuary" policies.
The story begins with Bustamante-Leiva's entry into the United States in 2021, despite his role in a highly publicized $28,000 robbery spree in Britain that led to his imprisonment for three years.
According to the Daily Mail, Bustamante-Leiva was waved into the U.S. legally by Biden officials in 2021 but later violated the terms of his release.
He came to wider public attention after he snatched Noem's Gucci handbag during an Easter meal with her family at a restaurant in Washington D.C. The purse contained $3,000 in cash, Noem's credit card, her DHS badge, and other personal items.
The brazen thug was caught on surveillance footage stealing Noem's purse from under her feet at Capital Burger in D.C. It was his fourth theft in just eight days.
The self-admitted drunk went on to splurge on food and alcohol using Noem's stolen credit card, racking up $200 in charges at an Italian restaurant.
Police busted Bustamante-Leiva in the nation's capital on Saturday, and the next day his accomplice, another illegal alien from Chile, was arrested in Florida.
Despite her public-facing role in the Trump administration, it is believed that Noem was targeted randomly and not for any political purpose. She's far from the only victim of the open borders madness that Biden unleashed.
According to the New York Post, police in the Big Apple arrested Bustamante-Leiva on March 2 for a similar crime at an Indian restaurant in Times Square.
The suspect made off with the victim's fanny pack, and within 20 minutes, had made $1,200 in fraudulent credit card purchases.
The victim, an international student from India, was left shaken and after police let the suspect go with a desk appearance ticket on fourth-degree felony grand larceny charges. Not surprisingly, the suspect never showed up for his court appearance.
“That’s insane. I don’t know how he was let out after that without any reason,” the student said. “I mean, putting in so much effort and then coming to the States and experiencing something like that intrigued my frightened side.”
Because of New York's "sanctuary" policy, police were prevented from reporting the suspect to federal immigration agents - enabling him to continue with his crime spree.
