Democrats have found a new culprit to blame for skyrocketing car thefts on their watch: automakers.
Several Democratic politicians ignored criminals and berated manufacturers for increasing vehicle theft, signaling a plan that may continue in other areas to try to deflect criticism from themselves and their policies.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has singled out Kia and Hyundai for a string of car thefts, going so far as to open an investigation into the makers to find out if they omitted ‘industry-standard anti-theft technology’. industry” on some of its automobiles. .
“Kia and Hyundai vehicles might as well have a giant bumper sticker that says ‘steal me,'” Ellison said in early March.
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison accused Kia and Hyundai of increasing car thefts. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In Minneapolis, Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts increased nearly 840% in 2022, The Washington Times reported. In Saint-Paul, thefts jumped by more than 600% compared to the previous year.
The Times noted that 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 automakers, particularly Kia, Hyundai and Toyota. The Golden State has one of the highest vehicle theft rates in the country.
California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and 22 other attorneys general sent a letter to Kia and Hyundai accusing them of failing to install “anti-theft ignition interlocks,” the Washington Free Beacon reported.
“Alarming rates of theft of these vehicles have been sustained for a long time,” the coalition wrote in the letter. “Your consumers continue to be harmed as a result, and even worse, 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 would have taken action to address this crisis, it was not enough and it was not done quickly enough,” they added.
ST. LOUIS HYUNDAI / KIA DEALER INVENTS SECURITY DEVICE FOR STOLEN CARS BY TIKTOK CHALLENGE
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and others have also pointed the finger at automakers. (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 have caused continued harm to consumers and undermined public safety in communities across the country,” they said. . “It’s high time you recognized the role of your companies and took swift and comprehensive action to address it.”
Many thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles have taken place due to videos being 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 on the ignition. Young people would often steal the cars and take them for rides.
Bonta and 17 attorneys general this week sent a letter to the federal government urging them to recall millions of vehicles.
Also in California, Los Angeles Democratic Councilwoman Nithya Raman suggested that 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 – that makes the Prius, which basically has a device on their cars that’s super easy to That’s basically the value of a MacBook, right?” Raman recently said.
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“It’s placed in an incredibly easy-to-reach place in your car and the thefts related to this issue have basically – all of the costs of that – given to us to bear in their stead. [Toyota] having to make a car that’s actually not that easy to steal,” she added.
National car thefts topped one million last year for the first time in 14 years, a 7% increase from 2021 figures.
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“We are seeing numbers of vehicle thefts that we have not seen in almost 15 years, and there are very few deterrents to stop criminals from committing these acts because they are just property crimes. , such as shoplifting,” said David J. Glawe, President and CEO. CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
“We must reinvest in local law enforcement, provide necessary resources for prosecution and community policing programs, and implement early intervention programs given the high incidence of young offenders involved in thefts of vehicles,” Glawe added.
The offices of Ellison, Bonta and Raman did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Gary Gastelu contributed reporting.