GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Another round of justice has been delivered as federal law enforcement cracks down on fraud and illegal activity.
According to U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey, a 35-year-old Guatemalan citizen in the U.S. illegally received an eight-month prison sentence for her role in a counterfeit identification document scheme. Norma Ayala, who has been deported from the U.S. four times, will serve time after pleading guilty to making fake Social Security cards and Permanent Resident cards and selling them to illegal aliens.
MORE NEWS: Homes are Getting Stolen in Detroit
Upon the completion of her sentence, Ayala will be deported to Guatemala.
In 2024, Homeland Security Investigations learned of the operation in the Grand Rapids area. An investigation determined that Ayala and codefendants Rigoberto Vasquez-Vasquez and Edgidio Vasques-Mencho, advertised, manufactured, and sold fraudulent Social Security and Permanent Resident cards to other illegal aliens. A federal grand jury indicted all three on September 23, 2025.
“This case is an example of why the public has lost its tolerance for illegal immigration,” VerHey said. “Ms. Ayala has been removed from the United States four times, which shows her disregard for our laws.”
VerHey added, “When [Ayala] came back, for the fifth time, she celebrated her good fortune by starting a fraud ring to enrich herself and to allow others to evade our immigration laws. This conduct is unacceptable, and my office will aggressively prosecute it whenever it occurs.”
GOP Congressman Bill Huizenga, who represents a portion of West Michigan, also weighed in. “It is absurd that an individual, who has been removed from the United States multiple times, was able to illegally enter the country again only to engage in a criminal enterprise to create fake federal documents for other illegal immigrants.”
Rep. Huizenga also thanked President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans. “[They] have restored border integrity and put an end to the open border policies of the Biden Administration and its Democrat allies who remain in Congress,” he said.
