BUFFALO, N.Y. – Federal authorities have arrested two Israeli citizens in separate immigration cases after one man was allegedly found hiding among luggage inside a vehicle attempting to cross into the United States at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry earlier this month.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, Elazar Wigdorowitz, 33, and Israel Enden, 46, were charged in separate criminal complaints following their arrests on January 8. Wigdorowitz faces a charge of improper entry by an alien, which carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison, while Enden is charged with bringing in and harboring certain aliens, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors said Enden drove to the Rainbow Bridge crossing near Niagara Falls and told Customs and Border Protection officers that he was a U.S. citizen residing in Israel and traveling to New York City to visit family. Officers referred the vehicle for secondary inspection after noting inconsistencies in his statements.
During the inspection, officers discovered several pieces of luggage in the rear of the vehicle and, upon removing them, found a person concealed beneath the bags. The hidden passenger was identified as Wigdorowitz, who reportedly told officers he entered the vehicle in order to visit his rabbi’s grave in the United States.
Investigators later determined that Wigdorowitz’s U.S. visa, first issued in 2010, had been revoked in 2017 due to his criminal record in Israel, which included convictions for conspiracy to commit a felony, assault, extortion, and false imprisonment. His visa application was denied again in 2023 for the same reason.
Both men were taken into custody and made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer, where they were ordered detained pending further proceedings.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan W. Fitzgerald and investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal agents arrested two Israeli nationals at the Rainbow Bridge crossing after one was found hiding in a vehicle in an alleged attempt to enter the United States illegally.
