A man from Mexico pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiring with a prominent Vermont immigrant rights leader to smuggle a woman into the U.S. from Canada. In the federal courthouse in downtown Burlington, Armando Paulino Estudillo, 36, admitted to paying José Ignacio “Nacho” De La Cruz De La Rosa $2,000 for his girlfriend’s illegal border crossing in April 2025.  As part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, Paulino Estudillo admitted to communicating via text message with De La Cruz about where and when the woman would walk across the border into Vermont. The deal was made public in court filings two weeks ago and was first reported by Vermont Public. Paulino Estudillo was arrested in New Hampshire in early April, several days after De La Cruz was arrested in Essex while driving to work.  A grand jury indicted De La Cruz, who has been an active member of the advocacy group Migrant Justice since 2018, on nine counts related to helping smuggle migrants across the border for money and fraudulently procuring Vermont driver’s privilege cards. De La Cruz pleaded not guilty to the charges and a federal judge released him on bond pending trial, citing his close family ties to Vermont. His case is pending. Paulino Estudillo’s plea deal does not require him to testify in De La Cruz’s case. According to the plea agreement, Paulino Estudillo told the woman a smuggler would bring her to a Vermont farm after she crossed the border. He also told her he had spent $5,000 and had another $3,000 ready for her crossing. The woman’s first crossing attempt failed, but on the night of April 18, 2025, she tried again. Border Patrol agents arrested her and three other migrants early the following morning along a road in Richford.  Agents searched her phone and found the text messages with Paulino Estudillo and De La Cruz.  According to the plea deal, Paulino Estudillo later asked for and received a refund of $2,000 from De La Cruz for the failed crossing attempt. Paulino Estudillo, who is undocumented, was arrested in Lancaster, N.H., and has been incarcerated in Vermont ever since. He’ll remain behind bars ahead of a sentencing hearing that’s scheduled for October. Paulino Estudillo has been deported from the U.S. three previous times. According to court records, he has no clear ties to Vermont outside of his association with De La Cruz. The post Man Admits to Paying Migrant Justice Leader in Border Smuggling Case appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less