NEWPORT — A Chinese citizen was convicted of illegally entering the United States after being spotted walking across a field near the Vermont-Canada border, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced.
Huan Lin, 41, was convicted Friday following a one-day bench trial before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle sentenced Lin to time served, approximately three months.
According to trial evidence, Lin was spotted on April 18, 2025, walking across a field near Holland about a quarter-mile south of the U.S.-Canada border. She entered a minivan with New York license plates that appeared to be a car for hire.
U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle after Lin got in. As the sole passenger, Lin presented agents with a Chinese passport containing a Canadian visa and a stamp showing she had entered Canada about seven days earlier.
In her purse and backpack, Lin carried changes of clothing, electronics chargers, foreign currency, and what appeared to be Chinese identification and bank cards. Border Patrol agents confirmed Lin had no legal status in the United States.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigative efforts of U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
