Michigan woman charged with smuggling migrants into U.S. from Canada

A Michigan woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for her alleged role in an international smuggling conspiracy that brought migrants, including children, from Central America across the northern border into the United States.

Norma Linda Lozano, also known as Norma Linda Quintanilla Lozano, 53, of Ypsilanti, Mich., was charged with one count of conspiracy to smuggle aliens and six counts of bringing aliens to the United States for profit. According to the indictment, from February through November 2024, Lozano participated in an alien smuggling organization that transported people from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador into the United States from Canada.

“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.”

According to the indictment, the smuggling organization instructed migrants to cross the border on foot, gave them GPS coordinates and a description of Lozano’s vehicle, and coordinated their pick-up inside the United States. Lozano allegedly drove from Michigan to Vermont to meet the migrants at prearranged locations near the border and then transported them further into the country, dropping them at residences, businesses, or airports. The indictment alleges that the migrants or their families paid Lozano for these services.

In one instance, Lozano allegedly transported three migrants from Guatemala and El Salvador, including a 5-year-old girl. The child was seated in the front passenger seat, and Lozano falsely told authorities she was her granddaughter. In another incident, Lozano allegedly transported six adults along with an eight-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy. The indictment states the girl was placed in the hatchback’s cargo area on top of luggage.

A photo shared by prosecutors shows a “young female” in a winter coast lying across luggage and other items in the back of the vehicle, along with at least two other people, whose faces are all censored.

“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 offences will be investigated and held responsible, not only for their own criminal acts but also for facilitating illegal border crossings by others. Thank you to our law enforcement partners at the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their collaborative investigative work to keep our communities and country safe.”

Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol, of HSI New England, said, “Human smuggling is a ruthless criminal enterprise that exploits vulnerable individuals for profit without regard for their life and safety.”

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