Group of migrants busted for looting Tennessee homes devastated by hurricane: Sheriff

Tennessee authorities recently arrested eight migrant workers after they were allegedly caught looting homes in Washington County that were devastated by Hurricane Helene.

According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, five of the men — Albin Nahun Vega-Rapalo, 24; David Bairon Rapalo-Rapalo, 37; Kevin Noe Martinez-Lopez, 25; Marvin Hernandez-Martinez, 43; and Dayln Gabriel Guillen Guillen, 37 — were charged with aggravated burglary for allegedly breaking into occupied structures.

'We have been through way too much for this kind of behavior.'

Three of the men — Jesus Leodan Garcia-Peneda, 51, Josue Berardo Ortis-Valdez, 30, and Ersy Leonel Ortis-Valdez, 33 — were slapped with burglary charges, the sheriff's office reported.

Sheriff Keith Sexton stated that the men were arrested on Saturday and remain at the Washington County Detention Center on $20,000 bonds. They were slated to make their first court appearance on Monday.

"Washington County Sheriff's Deputies continue to patrol our region during the catastrophic flooding, especially along the flood zone," the department said in a post on Facebook.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told Fox News Digital that the men are migrant workers who are legally in the United States on work visas.

However, the spokesperson told the news outlet, "That will change as a result of the charges."

"We have been through way too much for this kind of behavior," the spokesperson added.

The sheriff's office told Fox News Digital that the three men charged with burglary were caught looting unoccupied homes and structures "that were barely still standing."

Anything else?

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition stated, "TIRRC staff members who deployed to the area witnessed community members struggling to access interpretation services from local and state government agencies, as well as requests by agencies for identification and documentation from immigrant community families that hindered their ability to identify missing loved ones."

According to recent reports, Hurricane Helene's devastation has resulted in the death of more than 160 people in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee — making it the second deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. in the last 55 years. Hundreds of individuals are still missing, and the storm's death toll is expected to increase as first responders continue to search the debris. More than a million individuals remain without power.

Over 100 people needed to be rescued in the northeastern part of Tennessee. While others remain missing, nine individuals have been confirmed dead in the state.

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