Car theft across the United States is dropping sharply—and the numbers suggest President Donald Trump’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration and transnational crime is paying real dividends.
According to data from the Real-Time Crime Index, 324,003 vehicles were reported stolen between January and October 2025. That marks a 23.2 percent decline from the 421,791 thefts reported during the same period in 2024. In an era when crime statistics rarely move in the right direction, that kind of drop doesn’t happen by accident.
One major factor behind the decline has been intensified federal and state action targeting illegal immigrants involved in organized auto-theft operations—many of which function as international export pipelines rather than petty local crimes.
In September, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the takedown of a sprawling international car theft ring operating out of Michigan. The group specialized in stealing vehicles, packing them into shipping containers, and exporting them overseas through U.S. ports. Investigators recovered more than 350 stolen vehicles.
Eight individuals were charged in a 12-count federal indictment, including Haydar Al Haydari, Karar Alnakash, Abbas Al Othman, Mohammed Al Hilo, Moustapha Al Fetlawi, Terrill Davis, David Roshinsky Williams, and Mohammed Al Abboodi. All face conspiracy charges related to transporting stolen vehicles, along with multiple counts of vehicle theft.
Elsewhere, federal authorities in McAllen, Texas, charged Angel David Salas-Herrera—a Mexican national in the U.S. illegally—for running a car theft operation that attempted to export stolen vehicles out of the country.
Arizona law enforcement scored a similar victory in June. During “Operation Escalading Switch,” the Arizona Department of Public Safety arrested three foreign nationals, recovered 29 stolen vehicles, and seized $2.5 million in cash—money believed to be tied directly to organized theft activity.
In Dallas, Texas, authorities arrested one U.S. citizen and two migrants involved in a sophisticated VIN-switching scheme. The suspects replaced identification numbers on stolen vehicles with VINs taken from salvage yards, then sold the cars as “rebuilt” or “recovered,” laundering stolen property back into the legitimate market.
These cases illustrate a reality often ignored by the political class and legacy media: large-scale car theft is frequently driven by organized, cross-border criminal networks—not random teenagers joyriding.
Trump’s border enforcement has disrupted those networks. Fewer illegal crossings mean fewer operatives, fewer stolen vehicles, and fewer criminal pipelines feeding overseas black markets.
Car theft is notoriously difficult to solve. In 2023, CBS News reported that only 10 percent of vehicle theft cases are ever cleared, largely because investigations are time-consuming and resource-intensive. Prevention—especially at the border—matters more than after-the-fact prosecution.
And the problem isn’t uniquely American. Canada is currently experiencing a surge in auto thefts so severe that the BBC labeled it the “car theft capital of the world.” INTERPOL reported in 2023 that European authorities recover roughly 200 vehicles per week that were stolen in Canada and shipped overseas.
The contrast is telling.
While other Western nations struggle under soft-on-crime policies and porous borders, the United States is seeing measurable improvement—because enforcement works. Trump’s immigration crackdown isn’t just about sovereignty or politics; it’s about public safety, property rights, and restoring basic law and order.
The numbers don’t lie.
