A man who previously had his U.S. visa revoked attempted to get into the country by hiding in a vehicle crossing the border from Canada, American officials alleged in a statement announcing an update on the case.
Elazar Wigdorowitz had flown from Warsaw, Poland, to Toronto on Jan. 7, according to a sentencing announcement published Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York. The sentencing announced Monday was for an alleged accomplice, Israel Enden.
It is alleged that Enden, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, flew to Canada with Israeli citizen Wigdorowitz and a third person. Enden then secured a rental vehicle, which was driven into the U.S. through the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry in Niagara Falls early on the morning of Jan. 8, officials said.
They said Enden did not provide a rental agreement for the vehicle when asked, so the vehicle was flagged for a secondary inspection.
“During secondary inspection, officers opened the rear hatch of the vehicle and observed a large male, later identified as Elazar Wigdorowitz, hiding beneath some suitcases,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The office alleges Enden knew that Wigdorowitz “was an alien and had not received prior official authorization to enter the United States.”
In a statement in January, the office said “Wigdorowitz stated to officers that he was in the back of the vehicle because he wanted to visit his rabbi’s grave in the United States.”
Enden pleaded guilty in April to bringing an alien into the U.S. and sentenced to time served.
Wigdorowitz pleaded guilty to improper entry by an alien and also sentenced to time served, the office said Monday. A news release outlining Wigdorowitz’s plea alleged that the man secured a U.S. visa in 2010, but it was revoked in 2017 “due to his criminal history in Israel.” His visa was then refused in 2023 for the same reason.
It is alleged this history “includes convictions for conspiracy to commit a felony, assault, extortion, threats, false imprisonment, and malicious damage to a vehicle,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in January. The office said he tried to apply for travel authorization three days before the Jan. 8 crossing but was denied.
He was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials said Monday of the case, which is part of the larger Operation Take Back America, an effort described as targeting illegal immigration into the U.S.
