The green and grumpy fictional character Grinch was made famous through a Christmas movie of the same name. Unlike the most popular yuletide figure, Santa Claus, the Grinch is a holiday spoiler because he hijacks presents.
For its mischief, the hairy, green monster became associated with thievery, like the reported scooter-riding mailbox pilferers in Greenwich Village, New York. Security cameras caught the grinches grabbing letters from mailboxes at University Place and East Ninth Street, the New York Post (NYP) reported.
The grinches on wheels were stealing checks in the mail and digitally altering the amounts — by adding zeros — and the recipients’ names when the complaints started pouring in to police. The checks were being cashed in the area near Washington Square Park, a few blocks away.
Meanwhile, the United States government introduced a spin-off of Santa Claus to help in its immigration campaign.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted on X an artificial intelligence (AI) video showing a Santa in a red bullet-proof vest cuffing a man on the street, taking him to a processing facility for illegal aliens, and escorting him to a plane labeled “ICE AIR” for deportation, NYP reports.
Part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal aliens, the X video was captioned
“AVOID ICE AIR AND SANTA’S NAUGHTY LIST!” according to NYP.
ICE added to the post an offer to download the Customs and Border Patrol app and a dare to self-deport to get $3,000 and a chance to spend Christmas at home with loved ones.