Seven Unlawful Entrants Apprehended on Northern Border, Including Smuggler of Minor Child

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that the United States Border Patrol apprehended seven unlawful entrants on the Canadian Border between December 23 and December 25, 2025.

Joneyker Rafael Ramos Guillen, 20, of Venezuela, has been charged by criminal complaint with bringing aliens to the United States who lacked official authorization to enter, including Byron Guillermo Gonzabay Giron, 47, of Ecuador, Lixia Nong, 23, of China, Zhongyue Xiang, 62, of Portugal, and a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor from Brazil.  Gonzabay Giron, Nong, and Xiang were all charged by criminal complaint with illegal entry into the United States. According to court records, Border Patrol detected an unlawful entry at approximately 7:00 am on December 23, 2025.  A Border Patrol agent responded to the area, and from signs in the snow, determined approximately 5 people had traveled southbound. The responding agent followed the trail and discovered a group of people in the trees walking toward the village of North Troy. When directed to stop, the group instead scattered and fled. Over the next hour, Border Patrol agents tracked and pursued the five people, apprehending Ramos Guillen, Gonzabay Giron, Nong, Xiang, and the unaccompanied minor.

Two additional unlawful crossings occurred on December 25, 2025. Shortly after midnight on December 25, 2025, Benjamin Paul Sheldon Schooner, 35, of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada crossed the international border on foot in front of the Haskell Library in Derby Line, Vermont. At approximately 6:45 pm, Abelardo Gamboa-Penaloza, 30, of Mexico, crossed the international border on foot near Lee Street in Derby Line, Vermont. Both Schooner and Gamboa-Penaloza were charged by criminal complaint with illegal entry into the United States.

On December 29, 2025, defendants Guillen and Schooner appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that both defendants be held pending detention hearings. Defendants Gonzabay Giron and Gamboa-Penaloza appeared before Judge Doyle on December 30, 2025, pleaded guilty, and were sentenced to time-served. Nong and Xiang are scheduled for initial appearances on December 31, 2025.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Nong, Xiang, and Schooner all face up to 6 months in prison if convicted. Ramos Guillen faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The actual sentences, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.

The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt, Katherine H. Flynn, and David H. Golubock. Ramos Guillen, Schooner, and Gamboa-Penaloza are all represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender. Xiang is represented by Mark Oettinger, Esq. Nong is represented by Karen Shingler, Esq.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.