UMVA has learned that a daring cross‑border smuggling attempt ended in a dramatic arrest at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls.
Elazar Wigdorowitz, a Polish national whose U.S. visa was revoked years earlier, boarded a rental car in Canada with two companions, hoping to slip into the United States hidden beneath suitcases.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the trio arrived in Canada from Warsaw in early January, and the vehicle was flagged for secondary inspection when the driver failed to produce the rental agreement.
During the thorough check, officers pried open the rear hatch and discovered Wigdorowitz crouched beneath luggage, claiming he was traveling to visit his rabbi’s grave.
Authorities quickly identified him as an alien with no valid entry authorization, confirming that his 2010 visa had been revoked in 2017 because of a lengthy criminal record in Israel, including convictions for assault, extortion and vehicle damage.
Wigdorowitz had attempted to secure a travel waiver just days before the crossing, but the request was denied, leaving him desperate enough to resort to the risky concealment.
Both he and his accomplice, a dual U.S.–Israeli citizen, pleaded guilty to charges of illegal entry and aiding an alien, each receiving time served as their sentence.
