During the week of December 20 to December 26, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona charged 143 individuals with immigration-related crimes. Of these, 105 cases involved illegal re-entry into the United States, while another 32 individuals were charged with illegal entry. Additionally, six people faced charges related to smuggling undocumented immigrants into and within Arizona.
Federal law enforcement agencies that contributed to these cases include Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Among the recent cases highlighted:
In United States v. Dimer Oseas Nolasco-Mendez and United States v. Santiago Jeronimo-Jeronimo, both defendants were charged on December 24 with re-entry after removal from the country. According to court documents, Arizona Department of Public Safety Troopers stopped a vehicle near Eloy for speeding and other violations. After requesting identification from passengers later identified as Nolasco-Mendez and Jeronimo-Jeronimo, immigration checks confirmed they are Guatemalan citizens unlawfully present in the United States.
In United States v. Edgar Valentin-Campos, Valentin-Campos was charged on December 22 with transporting undocumented immigrants for profit. Agents observed his vehicle parked along a rural road near Sells—a location often used for picking up undocumented immigrants for further transport into the country. When agents approached, four people exited the vehicle and ran into the desert before it sped away and crashed outside Sells. The driver and two Guatemalan nationals were arrested.
“A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
