Mexican Man Sentenced for Alien Smuggling

The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont and the Swanton Sector Office of the United States Border Patrol announce that Salmen Hernandez-Ayala, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington for transporting three illegal aliens within the United States.  United States District Judge Christina Reiss sentenced Hernandez-Ayala to time served.  Hernandez-Ayala has been in custody since his arrest on May 17, 2018.

According to court records, Hernandez-Ayala hired a taxi in New York City and traveled in the taxi to a location near the United States / Canada border, where he picked up the three aliens and traveled south away from the border.  Shortly after 3:00 a.m. on May 17, 2018, United States Border Patrol agents stopped the taxi on U.S. Route 5 in Derby, Vermont and determined that Hernandez-Ayala, who was in the front passenger seat, and the three aliens in the rear seat were illegally present in the United States.

The three aliens were charged, convicted, and sentenced as follows:

Eliezer Esteban Gamez-Saban, 21, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged with illegal reentry into the United States after having previously been removed from the United States, a felony offense.  On June 7, 2018, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina Reiss to time served.

Jorge Campos-Navarro, 21, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with illegal entry into the United States, a misdemeanor offense.  On June 28, 2018, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced by United States Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy to time served.

Bryan Antonio Cruz-Salvador, 20, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with illegal entry into the United States, a misdemeanor offense.  On June 28, 2018, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced by United States Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy to time served.

The Swanton Sector Border Patrol is responsible for securing the land border between ports of entry in Vermont as well as New Hampshire and northeastern New York. The assistance of citizens is invaluable in helping the U.S. Border Patrol accomplish their border security mission and they welcome community members to help them keep our nation’s borders safe by reporting suspicious activity at 1-800-689-3362.

For more on CBP’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.

Hernandez-Ayala was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Elizabeth Quinn. Gamez-Saban was represented by Thomas Sherrer.  Campos-Navarro and Cruz-Salvador were represented by Stephanie Greenlees.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Cate represented the government.