Democrats blame the victim for auto thefts

Published December 22, 2025 5:00am ET



Auto theft is not a design flaw. It is a crime. Yet, across blue states, Democratic attorneys general have decided that the real villains behind a recent surge in car thefts are not the people actually stealing vehicles, but instead the companies that made them. No wonder more and more businesses and families are fleeing low-trust, chaotic blue states for safe red states where criminals, not cars, are punished for wrongdoing.

Electronic immobilizers, an anti-theft device that prevents a vehicle from starting without the correct key, have been around for decades, but were not widely installed on U.S. cars until the 1990s. While the devices proved popular with many consumers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration never made them part of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards because they do not contribute to the safety of a car.

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