In a harrowing case that underscores the human toll of illegal smuggling operations, a woman from Michigan has been charged with trafficking migrants—including minors—across the northern U.S. border, as stated in a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday.
Norma Linda Lozano, 53, hailing from Ypsilanti, Michigan, is accused of being part of an international alien smuggling organization (ASO) that facilitated the transport of undocumented migrants from Central America through Canada into the United States. A federal grand jury in Vermont has issued an indictment against Lozano, charging her with one count of conspiracy to smuggle aliens and six counts of bringing aliens into the U.S. for financial gain.
The indictment claims that between February and November 2024, Lozano assisted in smuggling families from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador, many of whom were at risk children. She allegedly drove from Michigan to secluded locations along the Vermont-Canada border, picking up migrants at prearranged GPS coordinates and transporting them to various cities, residences, businesses, and airports throughout the country. The migrants or their families purportedly compensated Lozano for her services.
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In some alarming instances, Lozano is accused of deceitfully presenting a five-year-old girl as her granddaughter to evade law enforcement checks. In another troubling case, she allegedly packed six adults, an eight-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old boy into her vehicle—placing the young girl atop luggage in the hatchback cargo area.
“This DOJ is investigating and prosecuting human smuggling more aggressively than ever before,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi, calling the case a direct result of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) — a multi-agency federal initiative aimed at dismantling human smuggling networks tied to transnational criminal organizations.
Officials say the smuggling operation put lives at risk while exploiting desperate families seeking a better future.
“Human smuggling is a ruthless criminal enterprise that exploits vulnerable individuals for profit without regard for their life and safety,” said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England.
Lozano’s indictment represents the inaugural case managed by the JTFA in Vermont. According to figures from the DOJ, the task force has already facilitated more than 410 arrests both domestically and internationally, resulting in 355 convictions in the U.S. and 305 significant prison sentences.
Lozano is set to stand trial in federal court. Should she be found guilty, she may face several years of imprisonment. At this moment, she is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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