During the week of November 15 to November 21, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 174 individuals with immigration-related offenses. Of these, 102 cases involved illegal re-entry into the United States, while 52 individuals were charged with illegal entry. Additionally, authorities filed 17 cases against 19 people accused of smuggling undocumented immigrants within or into Arizona. One individual was also charged with assaulting a Border Patrol agent.
The enforcement actions were supported by several federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Among recent cases highlighted:
In United States v. Juan Francisco Gutierrez, Gutierrez was charged on November 17 with transporting undocumented immigrants for profit after attempting to evade law enforcement in a Chevrolet Suburban near the border. Agents apprehended nine individuals from his vehicle; Gutierrez is a citizen of El Salvador who was in the country on a temporary work visa.
In United States v. John Michael Sparks, Sparks was charged on November 14 with transporting an undocumented immigrant after being stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Ajo. The passenger in his car was found to be a Mexican citizen unlawfully present in the United States.
In United States v. Eliver Gonzalez-Gomez, Gonzalez-Gomez was charged on November 20 with transporting an undocumented immigrant following an attempted flight from agents along Interstate Highway 17 Northbound. Authorities discovered ten passengers in his vehicle—eight citizens of Mexico and two from Guatemala—all unlawfully present in the country; two unaccompanied minors were among them.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that criminal complaints are formal accusations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
