Spray them with bear spray then disappear. Don’t answer the door. Mouth shut.
The cops can’t get squat without a search warrant and they aren’t going to get a warrant to search a house where the victim was burgling the front yard.
Or put a Trump sign out in front of your yard, get some friends together with ax handles and wait in the garage. When they come, treat them accordingly.
Move sign to another location. Rinse and repeat.