Democrats ignore criminals, blame car companies for skyrocketing auto thefts

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Democrats have found a new culprit to blame for skyrocketing auto thefts on their watch: car companies.

Several Democratic politicians have ignored criminals and reprimanded manufacturers for increasing vehicle thefts, signaling a blueprint that may continue in other areas in attempts to deflect criticism of themselves and their policies.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has pointed fingers at Kia and Hyundai for a spate of car thefts, going as far as to open an investigation into the manufacturers over whether they had omitted "industry-standard, anti-theft technology" on some of its automobiles. 

"Kia and Hyundai vehicles might as well have a giant bumper sticker that says 'steal me' on them," Ellison said in early March.

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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has blamed Kia and Hyundai for increasing car thefts. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In Minneapolis, Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts increased by nearly 840% in 2022, the Washington Times reported. In St. Paul, thefts have jumped by more than 600% from the previous year. 

The Times noted the stolen vehicles were sometimes involved in other crimes, including five murders, more than a dozen shootings, 36 robberies and 265 car accidents.

California politicians have also targeted automobile manufacturers, particularly Kia, Hyundai and Toyota. The Golden State has one of the top vehicle theft rates in the country.

Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 22 other attorneys general sent a letter to Kia and Hyundai blaming them for not installing "anti-theft immobilizers," the Washington Free Beacon reported.

"Alarmingly high rates of theft of these vehicles have been sustained over a long period of time," the coalition wrote in the letter. "Your consumers continue to be harmed as a result, and worse yet, the thefts contribute to an erosion of public safety as they are frequently accompanied by reckless driving and the commission of other crimes, further endangering our communities."

"While your companies are reported to have taken some steps to address this crisis, it hasn’t been enough, and it hasn’t been done fast enough," they added.

ST. LOUIS HYUNDAI/KIA DEALER INVENTS SECURITY DEVICE FOR CARS BEING STOLEN THROUGH TIKTOK CHALLENGE

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and others have also pointed fingers at car manufacturers. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

"Your companies' decisions not to install anti-theft immobilizers as standard equipment on certain vehicles sold in the United States has caused ongoing consumer harm and undermined public safety in communities across the country," they said. "It is well past time that you acknowledge your companies' role and take swift and comprehensive action to remedy it."

Numerous thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles occurred due to videos shared on social media platforms such as TikTok. These videos revealed how to start specific models without an immobilizer by using the end of a USB cable to turn the ignition. Young individuals often stole the cars and took them for joyrides.

Bonta and 17 attorneys general sent a letter to the federal government this week insisting they recall millions of vehicles.

"Hyundai and Kia's failure to meet federal safety standards for theft protection, or to install simple, commonsense antitheft features on their vehicles have made these vehicles disproportionately targeted for theft," a Bonta spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

"Other car companies honored their responsibility to manufacture vehicles that met federal safety standards and were not easy targets for theft, but Kia and Hyundai chose not to," they continued. "These same features were made standard on nearly every other vehicle during the same time period, and Hyundai and Kia installed these features on the same vehicles sold outside the U.S."

"This has created undue stress on our local law enforcement agencies, who now must respond to additional calls for service and theft," the spokesperson added. "We continue to hold those who break the law accountable, but the fact of the matter is, Hyundai and Kia's mistake is a public safety concern that is costing taxpayers and consumers, and has endangered public safety."

Also in California, Democratic Los Angeles councilwoman Nithya Raman suggested manufacturers should take responsibility for producing easily stolen parts, according to National Review.

"In this case, I think one of the things that infuriates me, is that we have a company — whatever, Toyota — who makes the Prius, that essentially has a device on their cars which is super easy to remove. It's basically the value of a MacBook, right?" Raman recently said.

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"That is put in a place that is incredibly easy to access in your car and the thefts related to this issue have essentially — all of the costs of that — are given to us to bear instead of them [Toyota] having to manufacture a car that actually is not so easy to be stolen," she added.

Raman told Fox News Digital the clips of her circulating online "was edited to remove several minutes of comments on how to address criminal theft of catalytic converters, including the investigation and prosecution of organized crime rings and ways to target black market purchasers."

"While automobile recalls can be an effective tool in addressing vulnerabilities against theft, they should be pursued in combination with other effective strategies to address criminal activity, which is what I expressed in my full comments," she added.

Nationwide car thefts topped 1 million last year for the first time in 14 years, a 7% increase over 2021 figures. 

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"We are seeing vehicle theft numbers that we haven't seen in nearly 15 years, and there is very little deterrent to stop criminals from committing these acts as they are just property crimes, like shoplifting," said David J. Glawe, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

"We must reinvest in local law enforcement, provide the necessary resources for prosecution and community policing programs, and implement early intervention programs given the high incidence of juvenile offenders involved in vehicle thefts," Glawe added.

Ellison's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Fox News Digital's Gary Gastelu contributed reporting.