Woman sentenced for attempted smuggling of illegal aliens at border

BURLINGTON — A Charlotte, N.C., woman has been sentenced to four months in prison for her role in an alien smuggling ring that runs from the Canadian border down to New York City.

Carmen Melari Ferrufino Perdomo, 29, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Honduras, was sentenced Friday for attempting to transport six illegal aliens from Highgate, Vt., down to New York City.

Wikimedia Commons/wbaron

The U.S. Border Inspection Station at Highgate Springs.

According to court records, Ferrufino, on March 17, 2018, flew from her home in North Carolina to Burlington, where she rented a car. From there she picked up the six illegals along the woods at the border and headed toward New York City, where she expected to drop off the passengers and receive payment.

United States Border Patrol stopped Ferrufino shortly after she had picked up her passengers. Authorities said the pick-up spot had a high frequency of illegal immigration in the weeks prior to this incident.

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont indicated that in addition to serving prison time, Ferrufino will be under supervision for a year and pay a $5,100 fine. She faced a potential five years imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine.

The six passengers, ranging in ages 21 to 54, were Mexican citizens who didn’t have any prior criminal records.

Ferrufino’s counsel had made a case in court for a six-month house arrest sentence, but U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss did not agree. The judge noted the apparent premeditation for this crime.

Reiss ordered Ferrufino to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on April 5, 2019. Ferrufino was represented by Assistant Federal Defender David McColgin; the prosecutor was Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher.

Kraig Laporte, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, told True North this activity — including the flight, rental car and organized meeting — is common along Vermont’s northern border.

“We’ve had cases of people entering the country across the Vermont border illegally in the past,” he said. “We’ve dealt with this before.”

Regarding the fate of the six illegal immigrants, Laporte confirmed that they did face charges, but did not say whether they were deported.

Asked who was paying Ferrufino the money for this smuggling operation, Laporte said he could not give details due to the ongoing investigation.

He did acknowledge border smuggling operations are risky for all parties involved.

“I’m sure there is a lot of danger,” Laporte said.

He added that Vermont’s vast wooded areas are ideal for illegal border crossings.

“A large majority of the border is very rural, so … I would think that would be attractive to them,” he said, adding that U.S. Border Patrol agents and Canadian authorities work together closely to intercept illegal entries.

The notion of a border wall with Canada is not far fetched. A 2015 Bloomberg poll indicated that 41 percent of Americans would support a wall on the northern border.

Meanwhile, in January, Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Ralph Goodale, defended the status of the northern border.

“It is the longest, most successful international boundary — un-militarized international boundary — in the history of the world, and we’re determined to keep it that way,” he said.

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North Reports. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/wbaron

7 thoughts on “Woman sentenced for attempted smuggling of illegal aliens at border

  1. Four months for human trafficking???? As noted above, she should be deported at once, period!! Why should tax payers have to provide her with free room and board for four measly months? These people want all the perks provided by living in this great country, but seem to think ignoring the law is OK as long as they don’t get caught. Well lady, you got caught.

  2. The same people who are for a regressive, unilateral carbon tax, also are in favor of border fences that illiterate, unskilled, culturally illegals from backward, dysfunctional countries can climb over, go through, and tunnel under

    They will do anything to increase Democrat votes to gain more power for the government to regulate, dominate and control our lives

  3. I wouldn’t lock her up …… Just deport her back to ” Honduras ” her homeland apparently
    she figures the laws in the US mean nothing !!

  4. Naturalization Oath of Allegiance:

    “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”

    Let her serve four months in prison and strip her of citizenship. She violated her oath.

    • I’m with you Frank, Jail time for the offense, strip her of citizenship and send her back to her
      $hit hole country of origin.

      Doing the jobs Americans don’t want to do….Ya right…

  5. Even with the inclusion of all that Vermont bovine flatulence, 49 other States in the US would love to have the carbon emission stats enjoyed by the State of Vermont. Yup! Vermont is dead last for carbon “pollution.” We might actually brag about this to States like Wyoming which has fewer people and ten times the rate of emissions. So would a Progressive please explain why we need a carbon tax other than not letting an opportunity to tax go to waste?

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