(The Center Square) – Another human smuggling ring has been busted at the U.S.-Canada border.
Three Mexican nationals, all men, pleaded guilty to multiple human smuggling charges in the latest case being prosecuted in the Northern District of New York.
Mexican nationals Ignacio Diaz-Perez, 37, Samuel Diaz-Perez, 27, and Salvador Diaz-Diaz, 34, pleaded guilty Monday to several counts of smuggling as part of an “alien smuggling operation” (ASO) that brought hundreds of illegal foreign nationals into the U.S.
They “personally participated in and coordinated smuggling events with other leaders of the ASO,” including hiring drivers to pick up foreign nationals once they illegally entered the U.S. and transport them into the country, according to the charges.
The charges cite one smuggling event in May 2023 that involved a high-speed chase that was eventually stopped by local sheriff’s deputies using a tire deflation device after the driver fled from Border Patrol.
Homeland Security Investigations Rouses Point and Border Patrol Burke Station agents investigated the case, located in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Swanton Sector.
The remote sector covers 24,000 square miles in Vermont, six upstate New York counties and three New Hampshire counties. Rouses Point, located in Clinton County bordering Lake Champlain, is across from the Canadian port of Lacolle in Quebec.
The sector spans 295 miles of international boundary with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, of which 203 miles is on land and 92 miles is along the St. Lawrence River. The sector is the first international land boundary east of the Great Lakes.
It was also hard hit during the Biden administration with Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents reporting the greatest number of illegal northern border crossers in U.S. history, The Center Square reported.
In 2023, at the time of the Mexican nationals’ arrests, Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents set a record for apprehending the most illegal border crossers from Canada. In one month, 1,156 apprehensions were reported with people coming from 33 countries. In just a few months, Border Patrol agents had apprehended more people illegally crossing a 295-mile stretch of the Canada-U.S. border than the previous four years combined, The Center Square reported. They were also rescuing lives, including those stranded in freezing temperatures.
“I have seen firsthand the dangers and tragedies that result from human smuggling operations” HSI Deputy Executive Associate Director Matthew Millhollin said in a statement. “Smugglers routinely put lives at risk, exposing vulnerable individuals to dangerous conditions, exploitation, and even death. This case sends a clear message that those who profit from smuggling human beings across our border will be held accountable.”
The Mexican nationals each face between five and 15 years in prison. Their sentencing is scheduled for November. One codefendant, another Mexican national male, pleaded guilty to five alien smuggling charges in May. His sentencing is scheduled for September.
“Alien smuggling organizations prey on the most vulnerable without regard for human safety,” Swanton Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Richard Fortunato said. “The message is clear, if you attempt to break immigration law, you will be arrested, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mexican smuggling at the U.S.-Canada border isn’t new but during the Biden and Trudeau administrations, illegal activity increased to record levels that exploited weak Canadian border security and lax visa policies, The Center Square reported.
In another recent case, a Mexican national living illegally in Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to similar smuggling charges, also arranging for the transport of Mexican, Central and South American nationals to Canada and then into New York, The Center Square reported.
In another, an Indian national was indicted for allegedly smuggling Indian nationals from Canada also into Clinton County New York, The Center Square reported.
In Vermont, illegal foreign nationals are also being prosecuted on similar smuggling charges. Smuggling operations involve flying foreign nationals to Canada then guiding them with GPS coordinates on cell phones through remote areas in Canada and into the U.S., where pickup points and transfers are arranged, authorities found.
In one recent announcement, 60 people are being prosecuted for border crimes in Vermont, also in the Swanton Sector.