A federal grand jury in Detroit last week indicted Wissam Abudayyeh, a Palestinian in his early 20s and a legal resident of Canada, on charges he helped 17 Chinese and an Albanian cross into the United States. Abudayyeh was to be paid $400 per person, said Angus Lowe, a U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement Office agent.
According to the U.S. government, the illegal immigrants boarded Norfolk Southern Engine 9863 in Windsor about 4:25 a.m. Jan. 5; U.S. agents discovered them during an inspection after he train reached Detroit. The 18 illegal immigrants are being held as material witnesses.
Officials say the most common local smuggling efforts are late-night crossings by small boats, especially near Grosse Ile on the Detroit River and Harsens Island at the mouth of the St. Clair River. But the train tunnels between Michigan and Ontario are also an attractive conduit. (Source: David Shepardson , The Detroit News, Jan. 18, 2005)