Rachel C. Hernandez Acting United States Attorney for the District of Arizona | U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 204 individuals with immigration-related offenses during an enforcement operation conducted from March 29 to April 4, 2025. Among these, the United States filed 83 cases involving the illegal re-entry of aliens and charged 107 individuals for illegal entry. Additionally, 13 cases were filed against 14 individuals for smuggling illegal aliens into or within Arizona.
The cases were supported by various federal law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Notable cases include United States v. Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda. On April 2, 2025, Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to unlawfully enter the United States. Between 2023 and his arrest in May 2024, Hernandez-Mosqueda coordinated the smuggling of over 100 illegal aliens, coaching them to claim asylum under false pretenses. This case was filed under No. CR-24-00820-PHX-KML.
Another case, United States v. Gabriel Santiago-Ramirez, occurred on April 1, 2025. Santiago-Ramirez was found driving a vehicle near Kingman, Arizona, when a U.S. Border Patrol agent observed the SUV pulling onto the road's shoulder. Santiago-Ramirez, later identified as being in the United States illegally, fled into the desert but was subsequently arrested. Inside the SUV, authorities found three illegal aliens. Santiago-Ramirez was charged on April 3, 2025, with transportation of illegal aliens, under Case No. 25-MJ-01441-JFM.
The U.S. Attorney's Office emphasized that a criminal complaint and indictment do not imply guilt. Guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
