A Michigan woman faces federal charges for her involvement in an international smuggling operation that allegedly helped illegal immigrants cross the northern U.S. border into Vermont.
Authorities say Norma Linda Lozano, 53, of Ypsilanti, took part in a plot to smuggle illegal immigrants from Central America into the United States through a route across the northern border.
A federal grand jury charged Lozano, also known as Norma Linda Quintanilla Lozano, with one count of conspiracy to smuggle aliens and six counts of bringing aliens to the United States for profit, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday, Sept 3.
She allegedly worked for an international alien smuggling organization that coordinated the travel of immigrants from several Central American countries and helped them sneak into the U.S. illegally, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Lozano is accused of conspiring to smuggle families, including young children, across the northern border for profit. Officials allege Lozano drove from Michigan to Vermont to meet the illegal immigrants at prearranged locations near the border, where she picked them up and transported them further into the U.S., FOX2 Detroit reported.
“Those who promote and profit from smuggling migrants into the country take advantage of vulnerable individuals without regard for the safety of others,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher for the District of Vermont. “The prosecution of Ms. Lozano should send a message that those who commit these offenses will be investigated and held responsible, not only for their own criminal acts but also for facilitating illegal border crossings by others.”
According to a news release, the DOJ said from February through November 2024 Lozano helped smuggle illegal immigrants, including children, from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador into the United States from Canada.
According to the indictment, the organization gave the migrants instructions on how to cross the border on foot and provided GPS coordinates and a description of Lozano’s vehicle.
The aliens or their family members allegedly paid Lozano for smuggling services. Once inside the U.S., she delivered the illegal immigrants to businesses, houses or airports.
In one incident, Lozano smuggled three migrants in her car, including a 5-year-old girl. The child rode in the front passenger seat, and Lozano lied and said the child was her granddaughter, according to the indictment.
Another alleged incident involved six adults, an 8-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy in her car. Prosecutors said the girl was placed in the cargo area of the hatchback on top of luggage, and the DOJ shared photographs of the child in the media release.
If convicted, Lozano faces fines and a maximum of 10 years in prison, MLive reported.
The DOJ said Lozano’s arrest is part of a larger, multiagency effort to stop illegal alien smuggling across both the southern and northern border.
Due to the harrowing routes and influx of illegal immigrants that flooded the southern border under the Biden administration, alien smuggling organizations started rerouting immigrants through the northern border to evade detection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The investigation and indictment are the first brought in the District of Vermont coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha, a partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The multiagency task force is focused on eliminating human smuggling and trafficking networks that operate in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia and undermine public safety and the security of U.S. borders, the DOJ said.
“This DOJ is investigating and prosecuting human smuggling more aggressively than ever before, and Joint Task Force Alpha is the tip of the spear,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not rest until those who profit from the suffering of vulnerable people — including many unaccompanied children — face severe, comprehensive justice.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division added the Criminal Division is committed to working with other law enforcement partners to “disrupt smuggling networks wherever they operate and bring their members to justice.”
The investigation into Lozano and her subsequent arrest involved multiple federal agencies and enforcement partners at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.
HSI Burlington and U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
Smuggling, whether it involves people, contraband or other illicit activities, poses a significant threat to public safety and national security, said Chief Robert N. Garcia of U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector.
“The alleged actions of Norma Linda Lozano underscore the risks associated with these criminal enterprises and the critical need for robust enforcement efforts,” Garcia said.
“Human smuggling is a ruthless criminal enterprise that exploits vulnerable individuals for profit without regard for their life and safety,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of HSI New England. “HSI remains steadfast in combating alien smuggling organizations and upholding the integrity of our borders.”
